Category: Superbikes

1. Ian Hutchinson and Lee Johnston line up on the roads for Honda Racing

   Posted on 4:00pm Monday 11th Dec 2017

   Announcing an all-new rider line-up for its 2018 Road Racing campaign, Honda Motor Europe is delighted to welcome Ian Hutchinson and Lee Johnston to the fold contesting the North West 200, Isle of Man TT and the Ulster GP aboard the Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP2 in the Superbike and Superstock 1000 classes.

   Both Hutchinson and Johnston are no strangers to Honda machinery and in 2010 Hutchy claimed his historic five-TT wins with the Padgetts Honda team. Hugely successful on the roads the ‘Bingley Bullet’ is a 16-time TT winner with 27 TT podiums to his name and will be looking to further add to his tally, as well as claiming the maiden road-racing win for the Fireblade SP2.

   Former National Superstock 600 Champion Johnston made his debut at the North West 200 in 2008 and it was 2012 when he first rode the famous TT Mountain Circuit. ‘The General’ has impressed during his time on the roads collecting three wins and six podiums at the NW200, as well as two podiums at the Isle of Man TT. Johnston also has strong links with the Louth-based squad, having worked closely with the Honda Endurance Racing team as its Le Mans 24-hour reserve rider.

   With a long established history at the Isle of Man TT, Honda remains the most successful manufacturer at the event and the Fireblade still holds the accolade as the most successful 1000cc machine ever around the 37.73-mile circuit with 23 TT victories. Honda Racing’s all-new line-up for 2018 is eager to tackle the road circuits, starting with the North West 200 in May.

   To keep up to date with all the latest news from the team follow @HondaRacingCBR

   Ian Hutchinson

   I’m really looking forward to getting started with Honda Racing; it’s a new challenge and a fresh start for me. I suppose I have quite a bit of history with Honda, ten years ago I rode with this official team and in 2009/2010 I rode with Padgetts Honda, where I scored five-TT wins in a week, so I know the Fireblade pretty well. I haven’t ridden the Fireblade SP2 yet and will have to wait until we go testing early next year, but I can’t wait to start making some progress. The Honda team has a lot of experience at the TT and its history speaks for itself with the wins and successes over the years, it’s also nice to see a lot of the team still here who I worked with in the past, so I’m confident that come the New Year we can get started and start aiming to where we want to be.

   Lee Johnston

   I am genuinely excited about being with Honda Racing next year, I’m probably the most excited I’ve been in years if I’m honest! I have had two tough years and it’s nice to have everything organised and in place early so I have nothing to worry about apart from riding motorbikes. So that for me is the biggest thing and what I wanted more than anything, as I have no outside distractions and I can just concentrate on doing my job. I’ve ridden the Fireblade SP2 already at Le Mans, when I was a reserve rider for the Honda Endurance Racing team, so I’ve got a bit of a head start in that respect. I enjoy riding the CBR, the tank fits me well and it isn’t as big as it looks! I just can’t wait now for testing to start in March and just get going with the new programme for the year.

   Jonny Twelvetrees

   Team Manager

   I’m really pleased that we’ve been able to sign both Hutchy and Lee for our 2018 roads campaign. Hutchy’s record speaks for itself and especially so when he’s been on a Honda. Whilst always being aware of his determination and professionalism, this has been highlighted to me even more so when striking up the deal. I’m looking forward to seeing him on the SP2 at our opening test, he has plenty of past experience on the Fireblade, so I’m sure it won’t take him too long until he’s pushing on and able to feedback what he needs. Lee has always impressed me, he joined the Honda Endurance Racing team as a reserve rider for the Le Mans 24-hour and since then we had been watching from a roads perspective. He clearly has a talent on the roads and I am positive with the team we have, the Fireblade SP2 and the plans we have for the season that he can show his full potential. We’re really looking forward to working together and personally I can’t wait for us to be back on the roads.

2. National Superstock race winner Davey Todd confirmed for TT Races debut with Cookstown Burrows Engineering Racing Team

   Posted on 12:00pm Saturday 2nd Dec 2017

   Former Pirelli National Superstock 600 Race winner Davey Todd will make his Mountain Course debut at the 2018 Isle of Man TT Races fuelled by Monster Energy, riding for the highly experienced and respected Cookstown Burrows Engineering Racing Team.
   
   The Saltburn rider will have a full complement of machinery for his maiden TT appearance, riding one of the latest generation GSXR Suzuki 1000 machines in the RST Superbike, PokerStars Senior and RL360 Quantum Superstock TT Races. 
   
   The 22-year old made his name in the National Superstock 600cc Championship, finishing in a strong sixth overall in 2016 after taking race wins at Oulton Park and Brands Hatch and a brace of fourths at Silverstone and Donington Park.
   
   2017 saw him take third place in the opening round at Donington Park but he then left the series to turn his attention to road racing where he immediately impressed. An excellent second place finish was secured in the Dundrod 150 National Race at the Ulster Grand Prix and he was on course for a sensational top six result in the second Ulster Grand Prix Supersport 600cc race before being forced to retire but not before he’d lapped at 125.503mph which more than demonstrated his road racing potential. 
   
   Todd had earlier made the established guard sit up and take note with a number of top five results at the Skerries 100 Road Races before going to the Armoy event and making headlines with a second place in one of the Supersport Races behind Irish Champion Derek McGee. He then took his 600cc machine to a superb third in the Superbike Race behind TT hero Michael Dunlop and McGee, beating William Dunlop in the process.
   
   Todd also impressed on his debut at Oliver’s Mount, Scarborough with a series of top ten results at the Barry Sheene Festival in July and the youngster has all the talent to succeed on the 37.73-mile Mountain Course in the years ahead.
   
   An enthusiastic Todd said: 
   
   "This is the opportunity I have been waiting for and I'm very grateful to John Burrows and his team for giving me this shot! I know I'm joining a very professional team with proven competitive machinery so I'm very excited about my prospects for next season.”
   
   " I'll be a newcomer to the TT Races but I'm preparing hard for the event and when I get there I'll aim to make progress quickly but stay safe.."

3. Birchall brothers honoured to receive medals at FIM awards ceremony

   Posted on 12:00pm Thursday 30th Nov 2017

   Team Birchall - TT sidecar winners and lap record holders - travelled to Andorra last Sunday to attend the 2017 FIM Awards ceremony. The Mitchells of Mansfield supported riders joined the other FIM World Champions at the event held at the Andorra Park Hotel in the Pyrenean Principality.
   
    The Birchalls, along with team-members James Brindley and Tom Mitchell, rubbed shoulders with 35 fellow FIM World Champions and members from the FIM Team World Championships. Swapping their leathers for dinner jackets, the boys enjoyed an evening to remember relaxing and sharing stories with motorcycling royalty such as Marc Marquez, Toni Cairoli and Jonathan Rea.
   
    Earlier in the day, the team had attended a fan signing session with the other world champions at the Centre de Congressos in Andorra before heading to the red-carpet and the awards ceremony where they picked up their medals for the 2017 FIM World Sidecar Championships.
   
    The ceremony capped an outstanding year that also saw the brothers win both Sidecar races at the Isle of Man TT Races fuelled by Monster Energy, breaking the outright sidecar lap record in the process.
   
    Ben Birchall: “What an amazing experience – I’m absolutely blown away by the whole weekend and how we were treated by the FIM during our time in Andorra. The country is incredible, its love for motorcycling is obvious and the awards couldn’t have been held in a more beautiful location. To attend such a prestigious event, surrounded by other world champions is something I’ll never forget. I feel honoured to be a world champion myself and the whole experience has only strengthened my desire to defend our title in the 2018 season.”
   
    Tom Birchall: “What an incredible event held in such a beautiful country. I want to say a massive thank you to the FIM for including us in the celebrations. It was awesome to be there with other riders such as Marc Marquez and Jonny Rea – as bike fans ourselves it was an honour and a privilege to be included in such company.
   
    “With the capacity changes over the past couple of years in the Sidecar World Championships, I really think the FIM have made the right decisions and the championship is stronger than ever - we’ll be back next year to hopefully retain the crown. I want to say a massive thank you to all our sponsors, friends, family and supporters, without whom this wouldn’t be possible. 2017 was our best yet, but lets see if we can go even better next year.”
   

4. Solid performance by Jake Gagne in race two to wrap up the season

   Posted on 10:00pm Saturday 4th Nov 2017

   The Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team wraps up the 2017 FIM Superbike World Championship with a solid performance by Jake Gagne, who was twelfth again at the end of the 17-lap, final encounter of the season at the Losail International Circuit. Gagne’s team mate Davide Giugliano was declared unfit to race following an outbreak of gastroenteritis.

   Gagne got a good launch from 17^th place on the grid and – after a few laps – he got up to speed on board his Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP2 machine and made his way into the top-15. In the first half of the race, the 24-year-old American lapped consistently in the 1’59secs – a pace which helped him consolidate twelfth position as the laps went by. Gagne then rode a lonely second part of the final encounter to equal yesterday’s race one result, albeit with a smaller gap to the top.

   The Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team will begin preparations for the 2018 FIM Superbike World Championship with a private test on November 22-24 at ‘Circuito de Jerez’ in Spain.

5. Twelfth place for Gagne in race one at Losail

   Posted on 10:00pm Friday 3rd Nov 2017

   Jake Gagne has taken fifth place in today’s 17-lap, opening race of the 2017 WorldSBK season finale at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar, equalling his best finish in the series scored in his previous appearance at Magny-Cours a month ago. His Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team mate Davide Giugliano was forced to an early retirement at the end of lap six.

   Gagne got a decent launch from eighteenth place on the grid and had a competitive opening lap, as he made his way past some rivals to enter the top-15. As the race progressed, the 24-year-old from San Diego battled with Guarnoni for eleventh position before consolidating twelth place in the latter stages of the encounter.

   Giugliano got a good launch from the fifteenth slot of the grid and was able to move up two places as the World Superbike field entered turn one. The 28-year-old Italian then started to lose ground and was passed by his team mate Gagne, before making his way back to the pits and pull out of the race.

   The final race of the 2017 FIM Superbike World Championship will get underway tomorrow at 21:00 local time (GMT +3), with Giugliano and Gagne again 15^th and 18^th, respectively, on the starting grid.