Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128368
He's back, he's the only American, he's a seven-time race winner in World Superbike, and he's on a team that nearly won the title in 2004. He is Big Ben Bostrom, tall in the saddle and World Superbike's prodigal matinee idol. We find out how and why Bostrom came back to his other home base just prior to the start of the World Superbike season. most of the parts didn't arrive yet. We knew the first race would be tough, as we cn: When did you really know that you were coming back to World SuperbIke, and when did you know that you wanted to? benbosb om: I wanted to come back after the end of the AMA season last year. But I knew there had to be an opportunity, and the right opportunity, to come back. Iwatched the Renegade team on TV last year and saw that they were making a great job. I kept plugging away and working on coming back here. I spoke with Mark [Griffiths, the Renegade team boss). We started working on a deal, trying to get bikes and so on. It came together and I'm really happy about it all. It came together pretty late and the boys have got a lot of work to do. But they are a great bunch of mechanics. We have one bike right now as cn: You mention that the series will be hard. and it's not like you would maybe be able to take up where you lett off. benbostrom: Yeah, it's going to be really tough, but that's what's going to make it a lot of fun. If you slacken off a bit, even just a tiny bit, then you're 20th. But if you pick it up just a bit, then you'll be fifth. That's what makes a series. didn't have quite enough parts, so we only have the one finished bike. We'll see how it goes and get more parts for the next one. It's just good to be back in this championship, especially when you look at how the championship is now. It's properly hard and one of the best series in the world. cn: What was the reputation of the championship In 2004. and how do people see it now? What did people see as your reasons to come back to Europe? benbostrom: I think a lot of people were happy because they saw a lot of the manufacturers coming back into it, heard the names of the riders, and there is a great list of names in SBK now. I think that people in America knew that I wasn't really that happy racing in America and knew that we had left unfinished business over here. I had a fantastic team in America, but I was left feeling that over here I should have done some things differently, so now I'm glad to have the opportunity to come back. I'm really coming back for the love of the sport. en: Do you think that the Pirelli tires will help you in particular. as your riding style seems to be front-end and rear-end tail-sliding? benbostrom: Last year it looked like they were not going at the lap times they wanted to go at, but it looked like fun. It looked like they were riding on dirt the whole time. This year it doesn't seem to be the case. We've got a lot of grip here from the rear, very sticky. The front tire I think will have a lot of problems because of wear, and it's not great from the get-go. So we will have trouble getting a front tire to last or even stick, and so we're sliding the front tire more and so on. I think I'm going to enjoy riding here because everyone is on the same tires. It's good to have a real fight between tire companies, but it's also good for a rider not have to wonder, "Does that guy have a better tire than me?" Now you can think to yourself, "That guy has nothing I don't have," so you just have to ride harder and better. And it has shown that it makes for great racing. Last year, I was blown away by the racing in World Superbike. Gordon Ritchie Grant Langston: Right on Track After finishing second at the opening round of the THQ AMA 125cc Eastern Region Supercross Series, Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki's Grant Langston is right where he wants to be. The 22-year-old South African took the time during media day for the Atlanta Supercross to share his views on where he has been with Team KTM and where he feels he is headed with his new ride. cn: Describe your relationship with KTM at the end of your contrad with that company. There were a lot of rumors going around that there was some bad blood there. grantlangston: It's one of those things that's kind of tough because, you know. there are so many levels in a company. You've got the team that you work with, and they don't make any sort of real decisions involved with racing, and there were one were two people that I didn't agree with or get along with and vice versa, which I think is part of the reason that it ended. But by the same token, we sorted everything out, and there are no hard feelings. There was a rough patch, but we sorted everything out. I did some stuff for them, and they took care of me. Everyone walked away happy. cn: Describe the differences you have noticed between KTM and your Pro Circuit Kawasaki team. grantlangston: It's just a tough question to answer because I have never been anywhere other than KTM. It has been an enjoyable learning curve for me, and it has been good for my motivation, to get me excited about racing again. The one cool thing about Mitch's [Payton) team is that everyone involved in testing works in the shop for Mitch every day, so if we want to go testing. everything can happen very qUickly. We can go from the race shop to the test track very qUickly. We can make decisions on the spot and get things done, and that's really cool. The team works really hard, and the communication is great. cn: You're a known quantity on a 2S0cc two-stroke. but there was no discussion of having you come over and ride a few 2S0cc rounds In the West to bolster Kawasaki's presence. If there had been. would you have been up for that? grantlangston: I would have if I had been more prepared for the East, but I really only started testing after Anaheim II because the team was focused on working with Ivan [Tedesco) and Paul [Carpenter), so in the beginning I was just focused on getting my riding fitness up and getting in laps on my KX250F. To be honest, it [riding the 250cc class) didn't really cross my mind, but next year I'd like to do races on the opposite coast. Once I have a year under my belt on the four-stroke, I think I will end up doing some of the 250cc races. cn: Let's talk about the 12Scc East. After the first round, do you feel like you are on track to win the title? grantlangston: Yes. The first race was a little tough in the sense that I struggled with arm pump. I rode really tight, so to walk away with a second, I was pretty happy with that. It's just one round into it, and a lot can happen in the next six rounds. I'm three points out of the lead, and three points is nothing. It could be worse. Two years ago when I was chasing after the East Coast title, I crashed into the back of Chad Reed in Indianapolis and ended up scoring no points. In that first race, I threw it all away. This time, with more races under my belt, I think that I will just keep getting better, and so I do feel like I am on the right track to at least being a contender.