OCTOBER 2007

2008 WORLD ENDURANCE CALENDAR RELEASED

April 19th - 20th France Le Mans (24 H.)
May 11th Spain Albacete (6 H.)
June 22nd Portugal Estoril (6 H.)
July 27th Japan/Japan Suzuka (8 H.)
August 9th - 10th Germany Oschersleben (24 H.)
September 20th - 21st France Bol d’Or (24 H.)
November 8th Qatar Doha/Losail (8 H.)

2008 WORLD SUPERBIKE CALENDAR RELEASED

February 23 - Qatar - Doha/Losail
March 2 - Australia - Phillip Island
April 6 - Spain - Valencia*
April 27 - Netherlands - Assen*
May 11 - Italy - Monza*
June 1 - United States - Salt Lake City
June 15 - Tba - Tba
June 29 - San Marino - Misano*
July 20 - Czech Rep. - Brno*
August 3 - Great Britain - Brands Hatch*
August 24 - Tba Tba
September 7 - Great Britain - Donington Park*
September 28 - Italy - Vallelunga*
October 5 - France - Magny Cours*
October 26 - Portugal - Portimao*

*with Superstock FIM Cup

NEW FEATURE (Hopefully - Can anybody else help out?)...
WHATEVER HAPPENED TO...?

COLIN MARSHALL - AKA. Phised Jaipisut

There are many retired motorcycle racers - but not many like Colin Marshall who kick-started his way into a new life in Thailand.

Colin was born in Great Yarmouth in the UK and followed his father’s love of motorbikes. “I started motorcycle racing at 17. I distinctly remember my first race, I was so sure I’d win. The lights changed to green and all the others were at the first corner and I was still wondering what to do. That’s when I realized it was a craft to learn. I carried on and learned the business because I knew I could be up there. I scored 6th place in the world championship class 24 hour World Endurance in Belgium in1984. We had formed a team called the Bee Team and were graded second endurance team in the U.K.”

“In 1983, ’84 and ’85 I entered the Macao Grand Prix. In ’83 I finished 3rd in the 1,000 cc class, ’84 1st and ’85 1st. In 1987 I raced in Malaysia. I got my team partner to come out and we finished second and ended up being sponsored by Rothmans. That was basically the start of Asia for me, and that was when I fell in love with Thailand. I spent my prize money on a ten day holiday here and I have been here ever since.”

“When I came to Thailand it was just me and my motorbike. I started at the Pattaya Circuit in 1987 and became a household name because I was up there at the front and the only farang (foreigner) competing. At the time, many expats couldn’t get their expensive bikes to work so they persuaded me to start a business of motorcycle preparation. ‘High Tech Engine Developer’ is what’s on my work permit. From the first day I was never out of work and it helped pay for my racing.”

However, even Champions have to step down sometime and Colin was no exception. “My last race was in 1992. I crashed and realized you hurt more as you get older. I decided to run a team.”  Colin is one of the few farangs who has applied for and has been given Thai citizenship. He explains what inspired him with disarming simplicity, “I have no intention of going home. Principally I am happy with the place. I got married to my lovely Thai wife and now we have three sons - my family and business are here. Basically it is for the love of the place.”

For Colin, citizenship is not just a stamp in a passport, but is far more - it even means a new name, Phised Jaipisut. “I take my Thai name seriously. I chose Phised because it means special. I think I have to be special after all these years here. The girls in the office chose Jaipisut, which means good hearted, as I seem to be always helping out people in trouble.”

Colin, crediting standards given by his father, believes in doing things properly and he has produced the best, including champions (even a Japanese girl Momoko Takahishi, who in ’96 set the world alight) and a Thai mechanic who Colin claims would be an asset in any world class team as well.

“My hobby is my business. I am one of the most fortunate people in the world who can say that. I am happy here. I am a man of my word, thanks to my father. If I promise anything it will be delivered exact and on time. I came here with 30,000 baht, I raced for seven years without anything. I built a world class race team and now I have my own business and I’ve never ripped anyone off.”

Colin on bikes: - “What can you really get out of anything else? The fear, the thrill, the erotic feel all in one. Something you can’t match, the lows so low you hope you never have to experience them and the highs so high you are on cloud nine.”

Colin Marshall, AKA Phised Jaipisut, may no longer sit astride racing bikes in competition but he now runs a  new business in a country that has adopted him, just as he has adopted it.

AMERICAN ENDURANCE - SUN TRUST MOTO-ST DAYTONA 8 HOURS - RESULTS

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The No. 18 Roadracingworld.com Suzuki SV1000S won the SunTrust MOTO-ST Series 8 Hours At Daytona Finale at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday night while the No. 6 Aprilia USA squad locked up the Buell Motorcycle Company SuperSport Twins (SST) class despite a 13th place class finish.

Chris Ulrich of Lake Elsinore, Calif., Cory West of Vista, Calif. and England’s Gary Mason shared the winning Suzuki, which completed the 234-lap race 25.838 secs. ahead of the No. 46 San Jose BMW BMW R1200S shared by Brian Parriott of Calistoga, Calif., Atlanta rider Nate Kern and Richard Cooper of England.

“This is just so fantastic for the team,” said Ulrich, who also won the second round of the SunTrust MOTO-ST Series at Homestead-Miami Speedway. “The drive home is going to be a lot better. I knew Cory could do it, and I knew Gary Mason could do it. When you’ve won at Daytona you’ve really done something.”

The No. 6 Aprilia Tuono 1000R started from pole and was in the thick of the lead battle early in the race. But at the one-hour mark Ben Thompson of Anchorage crashed in turn 1 soon after taking over from lead rider Ty Howard. The Aprilia was able to resume after repairs were made but just past the three-hour mark Henry Wiles crashed the Tuono and the bike was retired. The No. 6 Aprilia finished the season with 187 points to the 159 of the No. 69 RightsForBikers.com Suzuki team.

“This isn’t the way I expected to be up here,” said Howard at the presentation of the championship trophy. “We put it all on the line today but it didn’t quite work out for us. “In an eight-hour event it doesn’t matter who’s fastest, it’s who crosses the line first at the end of those eight hours.”

The No. 18 Suzuki team spent most of the race battling with the No. 46 BMW. Mason took the lead for the last time when he beat the BMW out of the pits during a full course caution period on lap 174. The No. 46 BMW stayed close until just over 45 minutes from the end of the race, when Cooper collided with another bike on the infield portion of the course. Cooper was able to pick up the bike and continue but the BMW had suffered damage, including a torn front mudguard. Parriott took over the final stint but steadily lost ground to the Suzuki.

“Our ride had really been problem free,” Parriott said. “We had what it took to win, but after what happened I was just happy to bring it home.”

The No. 69 RightsForBikers.com Suzuki SV1000S of Mark Crozier (Palm Coast, Fla.) and Nathan Dressman (Berkley (Mich.) placed fourth overall. The No. 33 Vallely Racing Suzuki SV1000S shared by Frank Trombino (Kleinburg, Ont.), David Loikits (Northampton, Penn.) and Matthew McBride (Mississauga, Ont.) was fifth in the race and claimed third in the final standings with 149 points.

Aprilia USA rider Troy Green of Dallas won the SST Rider championship with 179 points.

The No. 77 Touring Sport Ducati Ducati Supersport 1000DS of two-time World Superbike champion Doug Polen (Camarillo, Calif.), Peter Friedland (Columbia, S.C.) and Frank Shockley (Greenville, S.C.) survived a broken clutch with 20 minutes to go to win the BMW GrandSport Twins (GST) class and beat out the No. 8 Richie Morris Racing Buell squad to the Team title, 188-183. Shockley also took the Rider points title.

The No. 8 Buell of Shawn Higbee (Oconomonoc, Wis.), Dan Bilansky (Waukesha, Wis.) and Clint Brotz (Elkhart Lake, Wis.) was running third in the early going but lost time when it threw its chain just past the three-hour mark and eventually finished eighth in class.

“Everything was flawless the whole race until those last 20 minutes,” Friedland said. “I guess it was too good to be true, but that’s racing. Doug Polen helped us get out front and that was our strategy, to get a good lead straightaway.”

The No. 89 RightsForBikers.com Ducati PS1000LE of John Linder (Tampa, Fla.), Chris Boy (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) and Jason Edmonds (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) finished second after closing up a three-lap gap to the No. 77 Ducati when it hit trouble. The No. 70 James Gang Racing Buell XB12 of Paul James (Waukesha, Wis.), Jeffrey Johnson (Minneapolis, Minn.) and Walt Sipp (Kansas City, Mo.) completed the top three.

The No. 9 Pair-A-Nines Kawasaki team clinched the Sport Twins Team title at Daytona despite suffering a blown engine on its Kawasaki EX650 while leading the class by a lap. The team had enough of an advantage that it was still classified seventh and beat the Go Big Racing Suzuki team, which finished second in the race, by five points in the standings, 187-182.

The No. 79 Suzuki SV650 of Ross Millson (Hamilton, Ont.), Karl Daigle (Granby, Que.) and Paul Glenn (Keene, Ont.) took over the lead when the No. 9 Kawasaki broke but Daigle crashed in turn 1 with only 10 minutes remaining. That allowed the No. 87 SpeedWerks.com Suzuki SV650 of Hawk Mazzotta (Carmel Valley, Calif.), Scott Ryan (Lemant, Ill.) and Brian Kcraget (Danville, Va.) to claim the race win.

“It was definitely a surprise,” said Kcraget, who was coming back from serious injuries suffered at the previous event in July. “We had some bad luck at the beginning of the race but we were able to battle back. To be on top at Daytona is a little better ending than I had to my last race.”

The No. 66 M4 Avteq Racing Suzuki SV650 of Russ Wikle (Huntsville, Ala.), Kyle Martin (Dallas, Tex.) and Ryan O’Donnell (Dallas, Tex.) finished second, three laps behind the winners, while the No. 79 Suzuki was classified third. Jay Springsteen and Jimmy Filice from the No. 9 Kawasaki team tied for first place in the ST Rider standings with 187 points each.
 

OFFICIAL PIRELLI TYRES PRESS RELEASE:
Moto-ST ended last Saturday night with a magical Endurance race. There was a great expectation for the event, also thanks to the participation of some real motorbike legends. Doug Polen is well known as World Superbike winner in 1991 and 1992, and again was going to face “Mr Daytona”, Scott Russel, ex-WSBK Champion with Kawasaki (1993), also known as Mr. Daytona for his 5 victories in that famous 200 mile race with Kawasaki and Yamaha.

Those were only 2 of the riders sharing bikes among the 45 teams that are entered into the final event of the year, but was enough to push European interest. Moto-ST series is divided in three categories: The Buell Motorcycle Company SuperSport class (SST) which includes motorcycles producing between 90-118 horsepower, the BMW GrandSport Twins class (GST) covering motorcycles producing 75-90 horsepower and SportTwins (ST) for machines under 75 horsepower. All the riders and the different series share the same tyre brand: Pirelli is the official tyre supplier.
The race went on in front of a huge and enthusiastic crowd, and The No. 18 Roadracingworld.com Suzuki SV1000S won the SunTrust MOTO-ST Series 8 Hours At Daytona Finale at Daytona International Speedway while the No. 6 Aprilia USA squad locked up the Buell Motorcycle Company SuperSport Twins (SST) class despite a 13th place class finish. Suzuki riders celebrating the race victory are Ulrich, Mason and West, while Championship winner team was composed of Howard, Thompson and Wiles.

In the BMW GrandSport Twins class, Doug Polen started from second position but quickly took the lead and dominated the field during his double stint, running as high as seventh overall and never handing the GST class lead off. Polen shared the No. 77 Touring Sport Ducati SS1000 with Pete Friedland and Frank Shockley, finishing 2nd in the Championship with 153 points. Title went to Shawn Higbee of the Richie Morris Racing team, with 160 points.

SportTwins class race win went to SV Suzuki 650 bike of the SpeedWerks.com team, with riders Mazzotta, Ryan and Kcraget with a 11th overall place. Class winner is team Pair-a-Nine with Kawasaki EX 650, ridden by Springsteen and Felice whose team manager was well known Gary Nixon; former Daytona 200 winner and AMA national champion with Pirelli in 1968.

More information HERE.

QATAR AND MACAU PAGES ARE STARTED...

As you would expect when nobody is promoting the 2007 World Endurance Championship, finding information about the up-and-coming 8 Hours of Doha is like searching for hens teeth - but at least I have a page started HERE. The forthcoming Macau Grand Prix, on the other hand, goes from strength to strength - the 2007 GP page is HERE.

...THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO "HMMM..."

With the announcement that Carlos Checa will be riding in the 2008 World Superbike Championship with the Ten Kate team, it looks like he'll be in direct competition for the first time ever with his brother David...as 2007 Bol d'Or winners and 2004 World Endurance Champions GMT94 are rumoured to be considering moving from Supersport to Superbike...

BMW GO FOR IT AT DAYTONA

BMW's Richard "Cooperman" Cooper is keeping his edge by riding the R1200S at the Sun Trust 8 Hours at Daytona on October 19th-20th and aims to win for BMW for the second year at the event. Last year, Team San Jose BMW's Brian Parriott, Nate Kern and Stephene Mertens took top SST and overall honors by a margin of victory of 14.856-seconds.

More information at www.moto-st.com

BOLLIGER KAWASAKI NEWS

It looks like Horst Saiger has paid dearly for that last little pitlane crash at the Bol. The team line-up for the final race of the year in Qatar has him replaced by Eric Mizera. Hans-Peter has announced that the team "...will participate in the last course to the Endurance World Cup 2007 in spite of the high costs and logistical expense. The Kawasaki No.8 will be ridden by David Morillon, Patric Muff and Eric Mizera. The goal must be to overcome the unfortunate loss of our Top 5 positioning in the last minutes of the Bol d' Or. As a team we are convinced that we belong in the world's elite of  Endurance and that we will reach our goal."

Direct and to the point.

M&M&M's...MARTINS METATARSAL AT MAGNY COURS

Riding for the Celani Suzuki team at the final round of the World Superbike Championship last weekend, Steve Martin took the chequered flag in 16th position in race one after an on track incident lost him his strong 9th position, but came away from race two with a broken metatarsal in his right foot following a high side crash. Having made improvements to the GSXR1000's set-up and lap times over the weekend, Steve qualified in 15th place to make Superpole, where he was able to improve on his position to take the 13th spot on the grid.

Commenting on race one Steve said, "I had a good start off the line but saw Lanzi flying in the air at the first corner so had to cut across to the inside in order to avoid being caught up in that. I'd been strong through the first sector all weekend and just held the bike flat out to make my way up to 9th by the end of the first lap. I was then setting myself up to overtake Rolfo even though the space was tight, but I ran a bit wide and on to the oil that had been laid on the track earlier in the day. That allowed Smrz to slip past me but he then unfortunately lost the front and went down in front of me. I had two split second choices - either run over him or run off the track, so that incident lost me a lot of time and landed me back in 17th until I was able to overtake Morelli."

With Lanzi out of race two with minor injuries, Steve was elevated to 12th on the grid although his second race was short lived when Steve high-sided on lap 5, resulting in a trip to the medical centre and an X-ray which revealed a broken metatarsal in his right foot.

STEVE MODELS NEW COOL FOOTWEAR

Steve explained, "It's disappointing to end the season with a crash but it appears that it was just one of those things I was in the middle of the corner with only 2% throttle when the back came around on me. With further development of the bike's electrical system that could be stopped from happening again but we made good progress with the limited time we had. Overall it's been a good weekend as far as development of the bike is concerned. It's come a long way over the last three meetings and for what the bike package is, the team and I feel we got the maximum out of it and to be able to run in 9th position is evidence of that. I've enjoyed the three meetings with the team, they have proved to be a very professional and competent outfit, we've worked well together and also had a lot of fun."

Steve, Sandra and Axel have now returned to their European home in Switzerland where Steve will be seeing doctors this week to ensure his foot heals as quickly as possibly so that he can race in the last round of the World Endurance Championship at Qatar in a few weeks. The Martin family will hopefully return to their Australian home in time for Axel's first birthday on 25th October, and also then evaluate the variety of options, both on and off track, that Steve has for next year.

***********

ANOTHER SAD LOSS - NORIFUME ABE DIES IN TRAFFIC ACCIDENT (Pictures from Moto Racing Japan) OFFICIAL YAMAHA MOTOR RACING CORPORATION PRESS RELEASE: It is with great sadness that we learn of the death of Norifumi (Norick) Abe (32) on October 7, 2007, following a traffic accident. Norick Abe, as he is fondly known by motorcycle race fans around the world, was competing this season in the JSB1000 class of the All-Japan Championships from the “Y'S GEAR Racing” team. Norick was riding a motorcycle in Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Pref. when he met with an accident at about 6:20 pm and he was pronounced dead at 8:50 pm at the hospital where he was taken for treatment. In 1993, Norifumi Abe became the youngest rider ever to win the pinnacle 500cc class of the All Japan Road Race Championships. The following year he was competing in the All Japan Superbike Championship when he joined the Yamaha camp and started competing in the World GP500cc class. From 1995 he began competing full-time in the World GP500cc class, where he eventually compiled a record of three wins, four 2nd places and 10 3rd places in his GP career. This year he returned to the All Japan Championships and also competed in the Suzuka 8 hours World Endurance Championship race in July. During his career Abe was widely known and loved by the fans as a leading figure in the domestic race scene as well as abroad. Comment from Takashi Kajikawa, President, Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. “I am deeply saddened to hear this tragic news. Loved by fans in Japan, Europe and the Americas and throughout Asia, Norifumi Abe was an irreplaceable ambassador of motor sports worldwide. Here in Japan the fans were especially excited to see Abe return to the All Japan circuit after 14 years of international competition, and certainly their sense of loss at his passing is great. We pray that his soul rests in peace and we send our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones.” Norifumi Abe Profile Place and date of birth: Tokyo, Japan - Sept. 7, 1975 Career: 1993: Champion of All Japan GP500 class 1994: World Road Race Championships GP500 class debut 1995: 9th in World GP500 class 1996: 5th in World GP500 class (won Japan GP) 1997: 7th in World GP500 class 1998: 6th in World GP500 class 1999: 6th in World GP500 class (won Rio GP) 2000: 8th in World GP500 class (won Japan GP) 2001: 7th in World GP500 class 2002: 6th in MotoGP 2003: 16th in MotoGP (spot participation) 2004: 13th in MotoGP 2005: 13th in World Superbike Championship 2006: 13th in World Superbike Championship 2007: Ranking 3rd in All Japan JSB1000 class for Team Y'S GEAR Racing (at the end of round 6) REPORT COURTESY OF CRASH.NET Abe is reported to have collided with a truck. (According to police, the truck made an illegal U-turn from the left lane of a four-lane road in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, colliding with Abe's motorbike, which had been coming up behind in the right-hand lane. The police are questioning the driver of the truck - RC). Abe was one of Japan's most celebrated racing heroes, having burst on the scene by battling for victory as a Honda wild-card in the 1994 500cc Japanese Grand Prix. Abe fell three corners from the finish, but had done enough to earn a full time ride with Kenny Roberts' factory Yamaha team for the following season. A 19-year-old Abe took his first 500GP podium at Suzuka in 1995, but it was at Suzuka '96 that Abe etched his name firmly in the record books - by becoming the first home rider to win the 500cc Japanese GP, turning him into a national hero overnight. "I can remember everything about that race," recalled Abe, speaking in 2005. "It was my second season with Yamaha and I had been very fast in pre-season. The first two races of the year were in Malaysia and Indonesia, but they both went very badly for me, worse than they had done in my debut season in '95. The third round was my home grand prix at Suzuka and there was so much pressure on me to do well, it was unbelievable." "In practice and qualifying I was no good and by the time the race came around the pressure had built up so much that I couldn't even think about what I was doing. In the end it worked in my favour because I just went out and raced as hard as I could. Everything came really easily and I was so fast, it was a bit of a surprise! I finished over six-seconds ahead of [future world champion] Alex Criville... I couldn't believe it really." "I remember the next day the interest from the press, television stations and the fans was amazing. More importantly, people within the sport started taking me seriously. Some people weren't so sure that I had the talent to win races but after Suzuka '96 they started to look at me differently and trust in my ability. That race changed my life," declared Norick, who took two further 500cc victories, at Rio in 1999 and Suzuka again in 2000. Abe - who switched to Wayne Rainey's Yamaha team for 1997 and 1998, before becoming a d'Antin Yamaha rider from 1999 to 2002 - claimed 17 podium finishes during his grand prix career, with a best championship position of fifth (1996), but struggled to adapt his raw 500cc pace to the new 990cc four-strokes that arrived in 2002. After spending 2003 as a test and wild-card rider for the YZR-M1 project, Abe returned for one final MotoGP attack - with Tech 3 Yamaha - but finished 2004 just 13th overall and moved to World Superbike, with Yamaha France, for the 2005 and 2006 seasons. Although close on several occasions, Abe never climbed the WSBK podium and retired from international competition at the end of last year. Norick remained contracted to Yamaha - his employer since 1995 - and had returned home to compete in the Japanese Superbike Championship, where he held third position with one round remaining. The 32-year-old was present in the MotoGP paddock, as a spectator, during the recent Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi. One of the many people amazed by Abe's explosive 1994 Suzuka ride was a young Valentino Rossi, who later adopted the nickname 'Rossifumi' ('Norifumi' was Abe's official first name) in tribute. "I was struck immediately by this wild-card named Norifumi Abe," Rossi, watching the race on TV, wrote in his official autobiography 'What if I had never tried it'. "Abe had long straight hair and even when he was standing still, he looked like a great character. But most of all, he rode like a madman. He was absolutely fearless. I think that that day was the fastest race of his life. His racing style made me think he was an absolute nutter. He took turns with his steering locked, and often had to keep himself up with his knee. His suit was usually smoking, and he overtook in the most outrageous spots. His steering finally gave out and he fell... But to me, Abe was a hero."

Abe's sad death comes just a month after we lost another Japanese rider, well-known for his GP 250cc and Suzuka Endurance racing, Noriyasu Numata. On the morning of the 4th of September, Numata, who was participating in a Dunlop tyre in Okayama international circuit, was killed in an accident. The cause of an accident is still unknown. Noriyasu Numata (1966-2007) Japanese riders respected Numata. He took the fight to Honda with the Suzuki RGV, well down on power but making full use of his skill and technique. He beat Ukawa in 1995 and Kato in 1996. He opted for the challenge of the Grand Prix circus...but Suzuki had stopped developing 250 bikes in order to focus on their 500 and he competed for two years with a machine with absolutely no development. If he had gotten on another factory machine, who knows what would have happened.... Career Highlights  - Japanese Road Race Championship GP250      1991 14th, 1992 9th, 1993 5th, 1994 2nd, 1995-1996 Champion  - Road Race World Championship 250cc      1996 2nd (GP of Japan), 1997 12th, 1998 15th  - Japanese Road Race Championship ST600      2004 4th, 2005 6th, 2006 23rd, 2007 11th (after Round 5)  - Suzuka 8 Hour Endurance      1992 7th, 1999 25th, 2000 7th, 2001 7th, 2002 26th

JAMES TOSELAND WINS WSB 2007

Huge congratulations to James Toseland, not the way he wanted to win the 2007 Championship, without a win at the last round - but he kept it all together to finish 7th in Race 1 and 6th in Race 2. While Yamaha rival Noriyuki Haga scored a double victory, doing his utmost to take the Championship, Toseland, with his 6th place in Race 2, still managed to win the 2007 season by two points.

1	Toseland	GBR	415
2	Haga	JPN	413
3	Biaggi	ITA	397
4	Bayliss	AUS	372
5	Corser	AUS	296
6	Xaus	ESP	201
7	Lanzi	ITA	192
8	Rolfo	ITA	192
9	Neukirchner	GER	149
10	Laconi	FRA	137

HANNSPREE TEN KATE ANNOUNCE 2008 PLANS

Following weeks of speculation, HANNspree Ten Kate Honda is pleased to announce its full rider line-up for the 2008 World Superbike and Supersport Championships. The Netherlands-based team will run a three-man squad in the Superbike class to include MotoGP contender Carlos Checa, current World Supersport Champion Kenan Sofuoglu and defending British Superbike Champion Ryuichi Kiyonari.

Checa has had a consistently successful career in the 250cc, 500cc and MotoGP championships. The Spaniard has 24 podium finishes under his belt and hopes to add to this tally in the World Superbike series. Sofuoglu has already proved his riding talent by claiming the 2007 World Supersport crown. The Turkish rider had his first taste of victory on the Honda CBR1000RR when he clinched a race win in the Dutch Superbike Championship at Assen in September. Kiyonari is already more than familiar with the 1000cc machine, having ridden for the factory-supported HM Plant Honda team in the British Superbike Championship since 2005. The 2006 champion is leading this year's series with one round remaining.

The 2008 HANNspree Ten Kate Honda World Supersport team will consist of Australian rider Andrew Pitt and current British Superbike star Jonathan Rea. Former World Supersport Champion Pitt will return to the series with the aim of reclaiming the title and securing a seventh consecutive Supersport win for Ten Kate Honda. Ulsterman Rea will join HANNspree Ten Kate Honda from the British Superbike Championship - where he is the youngest ever rider to secure a pole position, podium and race win.

Following the incredible feat of winning the 2007 World Superbike and Supersport Championships, HANNspree has made the decision to renew its title sponsorship deal with Ten Kate Honda until 2010. With such impressive talent on board, HANNspree Ten Kate Honda looks set for a successful 2008 season.

Ronald ten Kate - Team Manager
"After such a successful 2007 season, we wanted to build a team that brings the same kind of success for 2008 and beyond. This is why we have chosen to go with some very young riders in both the Superbike and Supersport class. We are confident that we can do well in developing these riders. We are really happy that after one year working with HANNspree they are confident enough in the team's work and ability to renew the contract for three years. We share the same goals and ambitions and are very much looking forward to 2008."

Fabio Scatola - Vice President of HANNspree Europe
"I am pleased that we have such great talent signed up for 2008. We have had an incredible first year with Ten Kate Honda and we are looking forward to achieving similar success in the years to come."
 

THE DEMON EXTENDS HIS INFLUENCE...

DAMIAN ROWLEY PRESS RELEASE:
Damian had the 11th hour call today from Max Scholl team manager of Uprite Racing, to step in for John Crockford for the last round of the UK Hottrax Endurance Championship at Silverstone on Saturday 6th October. Uprite are currently looking to use this final round as a test for next season and are looking to Damian's experience of World Endurance to help the team get ready for 2008.
Demon; "I'm very happy to be riding with my old team on board their GSXR K6. I rode with Uprite in 2005 to 2nd in the championship, they've come along way since then and are one of most professional teams in the UK endurance championship. After the Bol d'Or a 6 hour around Silverstone will feel almost like a sprint race and should be a whole load of fun".
Uprite Racing; "We are very pleased to have Demon return to the team. Having one of the top British finishers from the Bol d'Or riding with us is very exciting. We've missed Demons presence in the team, and the way the other riders are performing we are looking forward to a good result. Our Suzuki has won the last two races which should enable the riders to show their potential in this race".

IT'S ALL OVER FOR FOGGY

Finally, after many months of crossed fingers and desperate hopes, it seems that the vast pulling power of Carl Fogarty was just a marketing dream that had no foundation in reality. It seems that among the hundreds of thousands of fans that followed his progress though World Superbikes, there wasn't one who could step up to the mark to sponsor...or even 'patronise'...one of the greatest riders Britain has produced. Shame on you...and shame on Britain for, once again, failing to back bike racing. Team Britain?...what a joke.

TFR PRESS RELEASE:
Team Foggy Racing, the motorcycle racing team owned by Carl Fogarty, has been forced to abandon plans to compete in next year's World Superbike championship following an unsuccessful search for sponsorship. TFR, based in Burton-on-Trent, England, had intended to operate as the factory team of Italian manufacturer, MV Agusta.

Carl, the four-times World Superbike champion, said: "Everyone knows that this is a difficult time for motorcycle sponsorship. However, we hoped that the combination of my team with an iconic brand such as MV Agusta would have been an attractive proposition for potential sponsors both in the UK and abroad. Regrettably, despite the enormous excitement generated amongst motorcycle fans, this has not proved to be the case, leading us to the conclusion that the market will not support a professionally-run outfit of our size without significant financial input from a manufacturer. So I have decided to bring this chapter of my career to an end by putting our state-of-the-art facility at Burton, our race trailer and hospitality unit up for sale. I would like to thank all those who supported our efforts during the Foggy Petronas Racing project and I hope that the tide turns in favour of the efforts of privately funded teams. On a personal front I am now focusing on a number of new opportunities, both inside and outside the motorcycle industry."

Good luck mate. Keep buying the lottery tickets.