British Superbikes 2008
Despite losing the obvious talents of 2008 British Superbike champion Shane Byrne and fellow top riders Leon Haslam, Cal Crutchlow and Tom Sykes at the end of the last series, BSB organiser Stuart Higgs is confident that the new riders signed for 2009 will make more than adequate replacements.
It is after all quite normal for the top riders to move onwards and upwards at the season’s end, but perhaps the biggest surprise in the end of season British Superbike news, was the withdrawal of Ducati from the grid of BSB in 2009 making this coming season an all Japanese affair.
Another change made for 2009 will be see two BSB race weekends featuring three races instead of the normal two race programme. These will take place at Brands Hatch, over the weekend of 7/8/9 August and at Oulton Park on 9/10/11 October.
So with the season due to start in April, who will be challenging for the title in 2009?
Having lost it’s top four riders from 2008, the rider with the fifth best British Superbike results last season was the promising young talent of Leon Camier, he will be riding the GSE Yamaha in an exciting partnership with James Ellison, who finished last season in seventh overall. Michael Rutter makes up the top three remaining BSB riders from last year, he will be riding the Yamaha North West 200.
All of the newcomers arrive with good pedigree at various levels of motorcycle racing, three time runner up for the BSB title Chris Walker will surely be in the running, his partner at Motorpoint/Henderson Yamaha is the talented youngster Graeme Gowland who has a string of Motocross titles to his name.
Glen Richards returns to BSB, but this will be his first season aboard a factory bike with HM Plant Honda. He will be looking to make it three titles in a row, having won the British Supersport title in 2008 and British Superstock in 2007. He is paired with Australian rider Joshua Brookes who finished third in the World Supersport Championship last season.
Sylvain Guintoli joins the Crescent Suzuki team having spent five years at various levels of Moto GP and fellow Frenchman Julien Da Costa joins MSS Colchester Kawasaki having won the World Endurance Championship in both 2007 and 2008.
As Stuart Higgs says we have plenty to look forward to for the coming British Superbike season.
1 comment so far
1 andy // Jan 28, 2009 at 9:59 pm
Anyone who might have been concerned that the British Superbike season would not have much depth after the departure of Byrne, Sykes and Haslam need not have worried. Of particular note is the return of popular rider, Chris Walker; can he be in the running for the title as the season progresses…