Ben Bostrom on the Renegade Honda Koji had extreme misfortune at Losail, but with more time for his team to prepare the machinery, he can expect greater things in Australia.
“We'll be in much better shape for the Phillip Island races,” said Bostrom. “Qatar did not go anything like the way we had hoped it would, especially when raceday came around. We will be ready for Australia, and I want to get some good points.”
The factory Ducati squad for 2005 remains as was in 2004, but in the privateer ranks there have been big name signings in the off season.
Fonsi Nieto and
Lorenzo Lanzi, each from the Scuderia Caracchi team, had challenging first outings on their Superbike steeds in Qatar, but each has shown talent in other categories of racing; talent that is expected to shine under an Aussie sun.
The aforementioned Garry McCoy is teamed with a fellow Aussie in 2005, the experienced and versatile Steve Martin.
"I am really excited about this weekend," commented Martin. "I hope we can keep the ball rolling after the test we had here as I am very happy with the direction in which we are going.
"This is my home track but there are a lot of Aussies out there and a lot of the other guys have tested here, so I am not sure there will be that much home advantage. It's a fantastic circuit to ride and will suit our bike better than Qatar, as there are not so many stop-start corners. If we can get a good start anything can happen and, while I am hoping for a dream result, a top six finish would be an achievement." he concluded.
Their Petronas FP-1 is unique in several ways, its design featuring a 900cc, three-cylinder engine, but with the usual configuration reversed. The exhausts thus exit from the rear of the engine, while the intake is at the front. At the fast Phillip Island circuit, it may be a particularly tough challenge for the Petronas boys, but in front of their home crowd, the interest in their progress will be immense.
