IN
THE
WIND
P32
HONDA
ANNOUNCES ISLE
OF MAN TT LINEUP
D
avid Johnson and Ian Hutchinson will lead Hon-
da's charge on the roads at The International
North West 200 and the Isle of Man TT. Both road
experts will contest the Superbike and Superstock
1000 classes aboard the CBR1000RR Fireblade
SP2, with the team also preparing a CBR600RR
Supersport machine for Hutchinson.
Johnson made his debut at the TT in 2010
aboard Honda machinery where he claimed the ac-
colade of fastest newcomer that year. The Austra-
lian has since racked up three fourth-place finishes
at the Mountain Course and was close to a podium
last year in the Superbike race. His best result at
the Ulster GP has been third (2018) and seventh at
the NW200.
Hutchinson continues with Honda after return-
ing last year while recovering from injury. The team
says he's coming into the new road-racing season
with more bike time under his belt and looks to
return to winning form. CN
David Johnson will lead
Honda's effort at this
year's Isle of Man TT.
WYMAN AND KWR CHOSE DUCATI
K
yle Wyman Racing (KWR) has announced his
move to Ducati machinery for the 2019 Mo-
toAmerica Superbike Championship. Wyman will
ride the number-33 KWR Ducati Panigale V4R
with leadership from crew chief Gary Dean and his
shop, Speed Demon Motorcycles.
The move to the Panigale is a big change for
Wyman and the team, who will be competing in
their fourth consecutive season in MotoAmerica's
premier class. Originally approached by the multi-
line dealer On Any Moto, based in Tucson, Ari-
zona, Wyman rode the Panigale V4S, the 1100cc
version of the V4 platform, at Inde Motorsports
Ranch in early December as a test of Ducati's
incoming production 1000cc superbike. KWR
will field the new V4R that is homologated for
superbike competition worldwide.
"I'm excited to be starting a new chapter for
KWR, and fielding a motorcycle that, on paper,
is an absolute weapon," Wyman said. "The
Panigale V4R has shown its potential in tests
and press launches and we expect to have a
well-rounded motorcycle in our stable. With
Gary Dean in my corner, I know we will be able
to develop the bike into a competitive machine
in 2019." CN
Kyle Wyman and
the KWR Team say
they're switching
to Ducati and the
Panigale V4R as
their weapon of
choice in the 2019
MotoAmerica
Championship.
