British Superbike News

Neil Hodgson Back In British Superbikes With Motorpoint Yamaha

Joy Ryder - Wednesday 11.11.09, 17:42pm

Neil Hodgson - AMA Superbike Series

The former British Superbike champion Neil Hodgson is coming back to the British Superbike series after signing with the Motorpoint Yamaha team for the 2010 season.

The 35-year-old has been racing in the AMA Superbike championship since 2005 where he finished sixth in his first season and fifth overall the following year. The Ducati team decided to pull-out of the series for the 2007 season leaving Hodgson without a ride although he took part in the Laguna Seca round for the Corona Honda team alongside James Ellison, finishing in fifth place.

In September 2007, the Honda America team announced that Hodgson would be racing for them in the 2008 season riding the new Fireblade. He finished sixth overall for the team that season before signing with the Corona Honda team for the 2009 season.

After a strong start to the season with a second place finish at the Daytona circuit, Hodgson had a motorcross accident and suffered a collapsed lung and dislocated shoulder, seeing him miss the next three rounds and finishing the season in eleventh place.

Hodgson became the British Superbike champion for the GSE Racing team after the final round of the 2000 season where he battled with Chris Walker on the Suzuki throughout the year. In the last round of the season at Donington Park, there were only a few points between the two riders when the engine blew on Walker’s Suzuki allowing Hodgson to take the title.

Hodgson then move onto the World Superbike series again with the GSE Racing for 2001, riding alongside James Toseland. He took fifth overall in his rookie year and continued to make progress in the following season. In 2003 he became the number one rider for the works Ducati team after both Troy Bayliss and Colin Edwards moved to the MotoGP series and ended the season winning the title against his team-mate Ruben Xaus.

It has also been announced today that Dan Linfoot is moving from the British Supersport Championship to ride alongside Hodgson full-time with the Motorpoint Yamaha team.