British Superbikes 2007

[patnicholls]

List as of Feb 2nd:

BSB 2007 outline list

HM Plant Honda - Kiyonari & Rea
Honda UK - Leon Camier

Airwaves Ducati (GSE) - Haslam & Lavilla

Rizla Suzuki - Walker & Cal Crutchlow

Virgin Yamaha - Hill & Haydon

Stobart Honda - Byrne & Tom Sykes

MSS Kawasaki - Rutter

NB Suzuki - Ollie Bridewell & Tommy Bridewell

Hydrex Honda - Harris & Guy Martin

Hardinge Honda - Tom Tunstall

PR Branson Honda - Sean Emmett

Trackstar MV - Brian McCormack

AIM Yamaha - Steve Plater (confirmed Feb 2nd)

plus...
Hawk Kawasaki (2) - Peter Hickman & ??

plus the privateers and anyone else who shows up before we start in April.
Riders (probably) looking for work: Neil Hodgson, Dean Thomas, Scott Smart, Ben Wilson, Chris Martin, James Buckingham, etc.

[Funks]

Riders (probably) looking for work: Neil Hodgson, Andrew Pitt, Karl Harris, Glen Richards, Dean Thomas, Craig Jones, Scott Smart, Ben Wilson, Ollie Bridewell, Gary Mason, Sean Emmett, Steve Plater (he won the Macau bike race recently!), etc.

Looks like ITV will be spoilt for choice with regards to guest commentators in 2007. That's a big 'likely to be unemployed' list.

[neninja]

Karl Harris has signed for Hydrex Honda as Honda UK didn't have the budget to run him.

Ben Wilson is rumoured to be Harris's team mate at Hydrex

Scott Smart was rumoured to be considering running his own team and bikes next year if he can find the funding

[patnicholls]

List updated above with today's news.

[GirlRacer]

Karl Harris has signed for Hydrex Honda as Honda UK didn't have the budget to run him.

Ben Wilson is rumoured to be Harris's team mate at Hydrex

Scott Smart was rumoured to be considering running his own team and bikes next year if he can find the funding

Scott is trying to secure the rest of his funding according to the Bennett's site!
Ben Wilson WAS supposed to be going to Hydrex but it fell through a couple of weeks ago!

[patnicholls]

Updated the list up top with recent accouncements.

Looking good!

[ATF]

It does look good, although I can see the championship being down to the same 3 as last year! I hope Rizla get their act together a bit, I would love to see Walker win the title. But I don't know whether putting Crutchlow in the 2nd seat will work if they want to win the title - what does anyone else reckon?

[patnicholls]

Well, most of the major stuff looks to be decided although there'll be the privateers and a few others to come before the season begins in two months time at Brands Hatch.

The title will probably be a fight between Airwaves Ducati and HM Plant Honda, with Stalker up there too I'd imagine. In a way I'm glad Kiyo and Greg have stayed as it shows what a quality championship we have to have them here, though part of me thinks they have proved their stuff in BSB and should be giving Troy B a challenge in WSB. To be honest Shakey had terrible luck last year (missed a round or two injured, was horrendously ill at one of the Oulton Park rounds but still got on the podium, the bikes got stolen by some idiots and buried in mud, etc). Without that he'd have been much closer in 2006, so all being normal I expect a better season for Rizla Suzuki this time. Although I think everyone would probably get a bit emotional if Chris actually won it - did anyone stay remotely calm at Assen last year?!?

And yes, I'm including Jonny Rea in the championship makeup - the boy has a big, big future imho.

Stobart Honda have a lot of answers to deliver this year and no excuses, with former champ Shakey Byrne. Boss Paul Bird - whose passion can't be faulted, and is never short of a soundbite - has apparently been trying to resign Shakey for a couple of years so has got his man again, although his other recent riders have hardly been slouches and not delivered either. Tom Sykes comes up from British Supersport with a good record there and needs to get on the pace pretty quickly too.

Rizla Suzuki have another top rookie with British Supersport Champ Cal Crutchlow taking one of the best opportunities out there and he should be a force this year. His team-mate from last year, Leon Camier, had a rough season since taking the BSS title but again has a chance to do well with a Honda UK-backed bike.

Several riders have found themselves elbowed out of top seats and down the pecking order in recent years in favour of new talent. For 2007 Michael Rutter rides a factory Kawasaki in what is probably a make-or-break year for him. He's had many chances to take the title and been close but not close enough, and might find things tricky on a Kawasaki. Sean Emmett - on his day a brilliant talent - won a race last year in British Supersport but also had more than his share of woes, often self-inflicted. This season he rides for PR Branson Honda who took the privateer title last year and are stepping up to the main class; let's hope we get to see the best of them. Steve Plater competes for AIM Yamaha who he took victory with at Macau last year. His 2006 BSB was very forgettable but we know he's still got the ability, as he showed on the streets.

Karl Harris has also been pushed aside after a season of fast but inconsistent riding on the HM Plant bike, too often finding himself lying down with a destroyed bike around him. In 2007 he takes a seat at Hydrex Honda who struggled in 2006 with Glen Richards and Gary Mason, and for selected races may be partnered by road racing specialist Guy Martin, who has some impressive sideburns!

Elsewhere, Virgin Yamaha keep Tommy Hill and resign James Haydon again, 4th time there now for JH, but have not been troubling the very front of the grid regularly in recent times.

NB Suzuki - formerly Vivaldi - have opted for an all-ginger lineup with brothers Ollie and Tommy Bridewell.

Tom Tunstall and his Hardinge Honda team return from an underwhelming time in World Supersport to compete in BSB, and others signed up include young talent Peter Hickman for Hawk Kawasaki, and Brian McCormack for Trackstar Racing - who are funded by some West Ham United footballers and run an MV Augusta Superbike.

Some seats remain undecided, and some riders still on the sidelines, but it's shaping up to be another good season in BSB

[ATF]

What about Scott Smart, Dean Thomas and Glen Richards?

[NinjaMaster]

What about Scott Smart, Dean Thomas and Glen Richards?

Glen Richards is going World Endurance racing I believe. Not sure about the other 2 but there was talk of Dean Thomas running his own team.