Meanwhile, FGSport have a heavyweight new business partner in Infront Sports and Media, based in Zug, Switzerland whose chief executive is Philippe Blatter, nephew of Fifa's president, Sepp Blatter. Infront handles the global sales of the 2006 World Cup TV rights, and may be able to get better TV deals for WSBK. One targeted market is the UK, where the sport is currently seen only on
Eurosport, and lacks a terrestrial channel.
ITV is apparently the desired partner of FGSport chief executive Paolo Flammini.
Many people thought that Flammini was, frankly, mad when he converted SBK to a control tyre championship with Pirelli a few seasons ago. But the series has thrived on that lower cost format, and even
Formula 1 has become a one-make series, with
Bridgestone.
Team KR Gets Deeper into Superbikes.
Chuck Aksland, manager of MotoGP’s Team KR, was in the paddock at
Silverstone to seek new customers for his company’s increasing range of components for showroom-based bikes. Team KR already supplies its distinctive swinging-arms to Ten Kate and Alto Evolution Honda in WSBK, to the Stobart Hondas in the British Superbike series, and to American Honda in the USA.
"Our engineering staff was put together to handle
MotoGP projects, but when we downsized to one rider this year, we had to ask what we could do to keep everyone employed and utilise our technology," Aksland said.
Now one of Team KR’s five designers is the contact man for the Superbike teams. The KR swinging-arm is completely machined from billet just like the component on the team’s KR212V Honda-engined MotoGP bike. "There isn’t a stamped component on it," Aksland said. "Obviously it’s lighter than the standard swinging arm, but that’s only a part of the advantage. It’s about controlling the stiffness of the product to match the tyre performance, and we have a lot of experience in that area."
