VOL. 52 ISSUE 38 SEPTEMBER 22, 2015 P29
PHOTOGRAPHY
BY
GOLD
&
GOOSE
mean two big names out and only one back in.
Leon Haslam faces the prospect of exiting his
Aprilia team at the end of 2015, even if it stays in
the paddock. There may of course be no Aprilia
World Superbike team at all, unless the money is
found by Milwaukee from BSB, World Superbike
regulars Althea or any other team to keep the re-
cently muzzled Aprilia RSV-4 FF in the paddock.
Again, Jordi Torres has an uncertain future if there
is no Aprilia team.
Niccolo Canepa made no secret of his desire
to stay with Althea Racing Ducati, especially after
going third in Superpole.
Former World Superbike race winner and
MotoGP challenger Marco Melandri is looking to
get back into the paddock, but a difficult decision
to be made, as the only realistic option for him is
maybe with Althea Racing Ducati alongside Nic-
colo Canepa. He is no longer making any finan-
cial demands after losing his Aprilia MotoGP ride
recently.
As for the factory Ducatis, the team announced
that they have re-signed both Chaz Davies and
Davide Giugliano before last weekend's race in
Jerez.
Gordon Ritchie
With Aprilia's future uncertain in World Superqbike,
Jordi Torres (81) and Leon Haslam (91) could be
looking for work.
BSB TEAM TO WORLD SUPERS?
T
he current British Superbike squad of Mil-
waukee Yamaha has designs of joining World
Superbike as early as 2016, but may stay in the
UK one more year. They have three possibilities
as it stands:
1. Remain on Yamaha and move to World Su-
perbike, but be a secondary status team com-
pared to the (neither announced nor confirmed)
official team, Crescent.
2. They could stay in the UK for 2016, using
the new Suzuki as electronics are developed for
it along the way. British Superbikes have a single
ECU rule, and the new bike is not expected in full
race trim until halfway through 2016, leading to a
potential full World Superbike season for
Milwaukee in 2017.
3. They could buy Aprilia machinery,
this year's official bikes, but have to
provide a big budget (maybe as much
as 1 million euros, roughly $1.12 million,
maybe less) as well as paying for some
of their own travel and logistics.
Dorna would help out any new strong
level team come to World Superbike
racing so Milwaukee could expect a
warm welcome—but a gift of the size to
take on the otherwise outbound Aprilias
seems impossible. Only time will tell.
Gordon Ritchie
PHOTO
COURTESY
OF
MILWAUKEE
YAMAHA
The British Superbike
Milwaukee Yamaha team is
rumored to make the move to
World Superbikes.
