GSE: WSBK is a possibility next year.

I think if this is the case Shakey will be out of the picture for Xerox as he would probably choose to stay put for his first season at least. Its not as if hes going to be on second rate machinery!

Canepa to xerox ducati? but who else? i think they will want a proven front runner to go alongside someone like Canepa.

Haven't team GSE/Colin Wright been linked to WSBK for the past 2-3 years now? I'll believe it when I finally see them listed on the WSBK entry list next year & see their bikes on the grid for the first race at Qatar.

Canepa to xerox ducati? but who else?

Neil Hodgson springs to mind

Dont think Neil will want to go back to Ducati after the treatment he got when after the ride last year? i would like to see Chas Davis or Eugine Laverty as work in progress.

I say give James Ellison the factory ride and turn him loose!!!!!!!! JT

small fish, huge pond.

plus they cant have the rules bent in wsb like they can (and do) IN BSB.....

BSB mirror their rules for the most part from WSBK. The adding weight thing without testing was pretty dumb and not safe at all. Anyway, I think GSE would do a good job in WSBK. They really shouldn't have left. They where a well put together team in WSBK when they had Toseland and Hodgson (who would take a pay cut leaving US Honda for a BSB or WSBK ride). Even though they were on the Dunlops instead of the "good" Michelins (ie the ones factory Ducati and Castrol Honda used) they remained at the sharp in of the grid in the glory days of Edwards, Haga, Corser, Bayliss, etc.

Unfortunately with an Italian team on Italian bikes in an Italian championship (oh did I mention Italian tyres?) it's hard to look beyond Max Biaggi for the Xerox ride. I hope that GSE and Shakey make it to the World stage but they will struggle to compete with the factory dukes on a regular basis.

GSE currently have 'factory' dukes (F08's), which will be even more 'factory' if they move to WSBK rules and are allocated F09's next year rather than RS09's. Plus they'll be on the same tyres as everyone else, so on that basis I don't see why Byrne can't compete with the factory bikes to be honest....

I think only the Xerox team has the factory bikes which are designated with the F. If GSE get a F09 next year the "factory team" will have the F10. Even so they should be competitive.

Raw Dawg - GSE are running F08's this year in BSB. The differences are in the state of engine tune between WSBK & BSB i.e. WSBK are running with 500rpm more and are using custom / race grade pistons, whereas BSB are using standard pistons. The '08 / '09 bit signifies the year of manufacture / competition, so Xerox won't have a 2010 spec bike in 2009 now will they !! The F10 (if it's called that by 2010), won't appear until half way through 2009 at the earliest I shouldn't think. The question will be whether Ducati, the sponsors and the big wigs at the top of the WSBK tree will want to allow GSE to run F09's alongside Xerox's F09's. Will they want an equal to the Xerox machines, or will...

... they make GSE run either F08's (year old machinery) or RS09's (inferior machinery). Either way, it remains to be seen whether GSE jump up to WSBK again in '09 and also what bikes they'll be allowed to run. Sterilgarda, DFX and whoever Lanzi pedals round for now aren't allowed 'F' grade bikes, so why should anything be any different for GSE ? Who knows... For Shakey to stand a chance of being competitive though I do honestly think he needs to be on an 'F' grade machine, which might not happen if 'boo hoo' Biaggi gets the Xerox ride in 2009.

Thanks for the clarification! But I seriously doubt that GSE will be on the same bike as Xerox if Sterligarda with Xaus and Biaggi can't get them. But who knows? Xaus, Biaggi, Lanzi, and Smrz all have had some decent races on the RS so it's not a dog slow customer bike. Hell, they have been beating Fabrizio on the F up until the last round.

I think they'll do well in wsb, they've got a rider who is world class and a sponser looking to go to europe so now is more realistic than the last few years when they wanted to go.