Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

Briefly... Bostrom Bacl< to World Supers A ccording to Renegade team boss Mark Griffiths, Ben Bostrom has already signed to run in a single-rider Renegade Honda squad in the 2005 World 5uperbike Championship. Griffiths also outlined more of the team's plans for 2005. The much-rumored move on Bostrom was confirmed via a telephone conversation with Griffiths, calling from the team's new base in Bologna, Italy, late last week. Bostrom, a seven-time World 5uperbike race winner, will be looked after by what Griffiths describes as "the majority of his previous team from the L&M Ducati days. We have also fought off pressure from Yamaha to keep Noriyuki Haga's crew chief from last year." Title sponsorship is expected to come from Keji, the same as last year, with other sponsorship packages still being worked on. The team's relocation to within a few miles of Ducati Corse's headquarters is paradoxical, given that Renegade will be swapping Ducatis for Hondas this year, on grounds of expense. Peculiarly, for a newly Italian-based team, the CBR IOooRR engine development work will not be done in Italy, or even by Alpha Technik or Ten Kate, but is to be carried out in the UK. Chris Mayhew, who will Continued from page 7 expired while they were deployed in ,he designated areas, Harley-Davidson will offer additional warranty coverage for a period of time equal to the length of their deployment, but not to exceed the original factory warranty period. Harley-Davidson and Buell owners who believe they are eligible for Operation Extend the Ride should see their local deaJer upon return from deployment. Servicemen and women will need to provide ,he dealer with a copy of their orders or a signed statement from their commanding officers that specifies the period of time for which they were involved in active duty. be tuning CBRIOOORR engines for Karl Harris in the British Championship 2005, is one of two people who are expected to carry out the engine work. An unspecified level of support is also reportedly due from HEM (Honda Europe). With Bostrom onboard, Honda's already impressive 2005 lineup (albeit still not given full recognition by the home factory) has burgeoned beyond the existing Ten Kate (Karl Muggeridge and Chris Vermeulen) and recently confirmed Klaffi Honda (Pier-Francesco Chili and Karl Neukirchner) lineups. Griffiths hopes to have Bostrom over in Bologna soon for a press unveiling but does not expect him to have much in the way of preseason testing. "With the Qatar race coming so early in the year, I really think Ben will get to test his race bike for the first time at the pre-race Qatar tests," Griffiths said. "I am keen to get him out on some kind of bike before that, but because everything has happened quite recently, our own race bikes probably won't be ready before we head off to Qatar." The Qatar tests take place on February 19-20, with a 5aturday race on the 26th. There will be another - final - official World Daytona Schedule Still Unclear Which race is when? That was the question everyone wanted to know about Bike Week. AMA road race manager Ron Barrick said the AMA had forwarded a proposal to the Speedway to have the Supersport and 5uperstock races on Thursday, and 5uperbike and Formula Xtreme on 5aturday. The 5upercross runs Friday night. The schedule both works and it doesn't. It means the Kawasaki and Yamaha teams will have two races on Thursday, after which ,hey could leave, saving thousands of dollars in expenses. If they did, it would reduce the team-trucks spectacle. "That's an issue for the track if they're concerned or not," Barrick said. I, would also mean that the Honda riders - Miguel Duhamel, Jake Zemke and Kurtis Roberts - would also have both their races, FX and Superbike, on the same day. As to 'he length of the races, Barrick said he didn', see fuel mileage being an issue, as it was last year in Superstock, since the new track reduced full-throttle running and increased mileage. The larger issue was tires. Barrick was to confer with the tire companies - only Pirelli and Dunlop were present at las, week's test - to get their feedback on tire life for both Superstock and Superbike. Henny Ray Abroms t1 Ben Bostrom is headed back to World Superbike racing on a Hondo. Superbike/Pirelli test at Valencia in Spain, March 12-13. Bostrom was scheduled for a photo shoot on Monday, January 17, and he was scheduled to be in Italy on January 19 looking for an apartment. Gordon Ritchie World Supers Change Schedule The 2005 World Superbike and World Supersport Championship schedule has changed a little bit, with two rounds moving to different dates. The Czech Republic round, originally scheduled for June 12 at the Bmo circuit, has been moved to July 17, and the Imola, Italy, round will be held on October 2 instead of September 25. The series schedule is as follows: February 26 Qatar, Losail April 3 Australia, Phillip Island April 24 Spain, Valencia MayS Italy, Monza May 29 Great Britain, Silverstone June 26 san Marino, Misano ed, and the plate stayed in until it was removed in early July 17 Czech Republic, Bmo November by Dr. Arthur Ting. That caused him to miss a test August 7 Greal Br~ain, Brands Hatch at California Speedway. SBptember4 Nelher1ands, Assen No Hacl

• Cover