FEBRUARY 2007

THE FIRST WORLD SUPERBIKE RACE OF 2007...

Superpole - ahem...'MR Superpole', if you please...

1, Troy Corser, Yamaha, AUS, 1'58.402
2, Max Biaggi, Suzuki, ITA, 1'58.724
3, James Toseland, Honda, GBR, 1'59.005
4, Noriyuki Haga, Yamaha, JPN, 1'59.294
5, Lorenzo Lanzi, Ducati, ITA, 1'59.537
6, Troy Bayliss, Ducati, AUS, 1'59.668
7, Yukio Kagayama, Suzuki, JPN, 1'59.964
8, Max Neukirchner, Suzuki, GER, 2'0.098
9, Fonsi Nieto, Kawasaki, ESP, 2'0.240
10, Roberto Rolfo, Honda, ITA, 2'0.414
11, Ruben Xaus, Ducati, ESP, 2'0.429
12, Michel Fabrizio, Honda, ITA, 2'1.085
13, Regis Laconi, Kawasaki, FRA, 2'1.176
14, Karl Muggeridge, Honda, AUS, 2'1.411
15, Joshua Brookes, Honda, AUS, 2'1.581
16, Shinichi Nakatomi, Yamaha, JPN, 2'2.301

THE BMW WORLD ENDURANCE ONSLAUGHT...

Ok, so here's what we know as "very likely"...
News is coming from the German bike mag PS that BMW will be competing in 4 endurance races this season - Le Mans, Oschersleben (Of course!), the Bol d'Or and Barcelona - with the intention of a full World Endurance season in 2008. BMW are testing in March (probably Cartagena in Spain) with their prototype. It's based on the R1200S (one wag - who shall remain nameless until the BMW race team is officially announced - suggested that it was based on the R100S...) but will be dripping in carbon-fibre and reportedly 20kgs lighter than anything else they have yet produced and is intended to go on public sale in 2009.
Marcus Barth, Rico Penzkofer and Thomas Hinterreiter are all names that have been put forward as possible riders, with the possibility of BMW tempting a famous BMW rider from Belgium to come out of retirement!

AMADEUS X-ONE YAMAHA

We've known for some time that Maurizio Bargiacchi's X-One Yamaha team had a new sponsor - but we haven't known much about them until now. They own long-tern oil fields in the USA and also have a major investment in biofuels. Now we know.
A Yamaha running on methanol?...

"Amadeus Energy Ltd (AMU) is a publicly listed oil and gas producer and explorer based in Perth, Western Australia. The company owns long life proven producing oil and gas fields in the USA, primarily in Texas, Kansas and Southern Oklahoma. The primary objective of Amadeus is to acquire, upgrade and expand proven and probable onshore oil and gas reserves to increase production and cash flow, together with identifying and participating in exploration opportunities."

SO YOU GOT A NEW BIKE?...THAT DON'T IMPRESS ME MUCH... (Sung By Rooskeman)

Zweitze Rooske has moved out of the Citroen 2CV (yes, we know it was crap...but it had GREAT suspension!) and the new "Thunderbird Two" has arrived. Search parties have been organized after the Nepalese Sherpa that usually accompanies Zweitze to the "Cab" reported that the Ohlins guru entered the trailer and hasn't been seen for nearly 30 hours. A spokesman said "We have issued all teams with enough supplies for two weeks which should be sufficient for a complete search of the interior." Reports of a ghostly voice whispering "...TTX...TTX..." have been written off as hysteria.

GMT94 FINISH TESTING AT ALBACETE

Photo - Lukasz Swiderek - Nikon D2X - CONTACT HERE

A windy final day of five at Albacete didn't stop Olivier Four from staying out all day testing the teams Dunlops. Team manager Christophe Guyot and reserve rider for Le Mans, Patrick Piot, didn't have a lot of set-up work to do, the data from their past years of running Dunlops proving invaluable. With their Yamaha R1 now making close to 200 horsepower (In Endurance-specification, remember) with their Laser exhaust and kit ignition, the team are chomping at the bit to get on track at Le Mans.

It was an extremely busy test, with David Checa and Sebastien Gimbert spending the final day testing their R6 bikes for the World Supersport Championship and having to stop early in order to get the bikes back to base for the final time before packing them off to Losail in Qatar for Round 1 of the World Supersport Championship on the 24th February.

Photo - Lukasz Swiderek - Nikon D2X - CONTACT HERE

ALF'S ENDURANCE KAWASAKI - TAKING THE FIGHT TO FRANCE AT LE MANS

The three riders for the Alf's Motorcycles Endurance Team have been confirmed today (14th February). Chris Burns, Adam Jenkinson and Guy Martin are now on board the Kawasaki and the entire team just can't wait for the first round.

26 year-old Chris Burns is the only rider to have experience of World Endurance - the former WCM Grand Prix rider has raced previously with the Alf's team and with the Roundstone-Trackdaze team - and joins the Worthing-based team after spending the 2006 season with AIM Yamaha in the British Supersport Championship.

CHRIS IN HIS WCM GP DAYS

Guy Martin, 24, is another former AIM Yamaha Supersport rider, riding for the team for the last 4 rounds and scoring points in three of them. He has shown impressive form during the 2006 season, dominating the International Gold Cup meeting at Olivers' Mount in Scarborough, England, with no less than seven wins from seven starts. The AIM Racing Yamaha rider blitzed the opposition in the 12-lap feature race to win by an astonishing 30 seconds, taking his fourth successive Gold Cup in the process. In addition, he also reclaimed the David Jefferies Trophy, having last won it in 2004 - and also both of the Superbike races. His practice results at the Isle of Man last year promised much, but bad luck and mechanical problems blunted his challenge, though he's planning to be back at the Island this year and do much better than his 4th, 5th and 13th places in 2006. His results at last years' Macau Grand Prix were impressive, when he finished in 5th place in front of John McGuinness and Thomas interreiter.

GUY MARTIN AT MACAU 2006

23 year-old Adam "Jenko" Jenkinson is the third member of Alf's team, he came 7th in the British Superstock Championship last year...no picture yet! Alf's are HERE

WORLD ENDURANCE - ROUND ONE (LE MANS)

I've started off the page about the 2007 Le Mans race and race-specific news will be HERE

...AND THE RUMOURS KEEP COMING...

* Former Projecteam Honda and Innodrom rider Roger Maher (the former German Supersport Champion...though he's from Tipperary in Ireland) will be bringing a completely Irish team into World Endurance for Le Mans, Oschersleben and the Bol d'Or. Along the way, the team will be doing the NorthWest 200, the IOM TT - the team have 6 Yamaha R1's for the season.

* Kawasaki are off testing in Valencia on the weekend starting 6th February (so, I don't even know what month I'm in...ok, ok...) - so far we know that Kawasaki France and Bolliger Switzerland will be there...Kawasaki France signing Steve Plater was at the London Motorcycle Show at ExCel and he's riding for the AIM Yamaha Team in British Superbikes as well as Kawasaki France in World Endurance...and the NW200...and having his first go at the Isle of Man TT as well. He's a busy man!

* A little chat with Virgin Yamaha's Tommy Hill, also at London's ExCel show - and a ride with Spain's Folch Yamaha might be possible in World Endurance...

* Fagersjo-El with team manager Karl-Axel Engquist were at the Swedish bike show earlier this month and though the bike is sporting the No.5, that number is taken by the Eurosport Benelux MV Agusta for this season - so we're still waiting to see if they will make it on to the extended Permanent Teams list.

PHASE ONE BIKES AT EXCEL SHOW

MACO MOTO ANSWER THE CALL - WITH A TIMELY PRESS RELEASE!

PRESS RELEASE 01/2007

Maco Racing team is at this moment preparing for EWC and launching it's 5th season. The negotiations with FIM are continuing and our target is to become one of the permanent teams, as we have been for last 4 seasons. Our team will also have an international structure. We have now signed a contract with a rider from UK, Damian Rowley.
We have also just finalized a contract with Czech rider Tomas Miksovsky, a novice in EWC, and we believe he will feel comfortable in our team and will fill  our EWC family of riders. Jaroslav Cerny is preparing for his 2nd season in MMRT and is our 3rd rider.

Martin Kuzma - the big boss of our team - is preparing the technical background as well as practising and developing his physical condition for upcoming season.

Damian Rowley has confirmed today that he will be competing in the 2007 Endurance World Championship. With support from his long term sponsor ‘John O’Neill Racing’ and new sponsors for 2007 ‘KT TOURS’, Damian will be riding for Maco Racing #14 on board their new 2007 Yamaha YZF-R1.

"DEMON" ROWLEY:
"It’s been a long winter of uncertainty for me with the question of whether I would be in EWC or back in the UK. I’m really pleased to have signed for Maco Racing and I’m looking forward to working with the new team they have a lot to offer. This year should be a little easier for me as I only have 2 new tracks to learn Suzuka & Qatar, but we have a lot of work to do developing the new bike before I get there."

We're very happy to see Maco Moto back safe and sound after their well-deserved holiday break in Thailand - we heard about the domestic problems over there and all of us here at Race Corporation sincerely hope that the "Land of Smiles" stays safe and happy.

"DEMON" ROWLEY "GOBSMACKED" AT HIS NEW DEAL