It's official:
Crash.net can confirm that Ben Bostrom will return to the World Superbike championship this season, as the sole rider for Renegade Honda.
Team owner Mark Griffiths today told
Crash.net that the American star - who raced for Ducati in WSBK from 2000 to 2002 and then for Honda in AMA SBK in 2003 and 2004 - signed a two-year contract with his team on 23rd December, giving Griffiths a very nice Christmas indeed.
And to make ready for a 2005 title attack, Griffiths also revealed that Renegade has undergone a number of changes...
Not only is the team moving to Italy, just 1km down the road from the Bologna Ducati factory, but it has also hired the services of Ben Bostrom's 2001 - 2002 L&M factory Ducati mechanics, already based in Bologna, to form the core of the new team.
30-year-old Bostrom, who finished the 2001 WSBK season in third place with six wins to his credit, is the middle of the three Bostrom brothers and now plans to move to Italy to be close to the new Renegade team base. The #155 is described by Griffiths as "very excited about the move to Europe."
According to Griffiths, his team will keep the services of their chief engineer - who helped
Noriyuki Haga take six race wins last season - despite Yamaha making strong advances for his services, following Haga's move to the Yamaha Motor Italia outfit for 2005.
The Renegade team will also be switching from Ducati 999s to Honda Fireblades this year, and have confirmed support from Honda Europe for the foreseeable future.
Bostrom is highly respected by Honda, after riding for them in the AMA SBK series before his switch to Ducati and WSBK in 2000, and then returning to the Japanese machines upon his return to the American championship in 2003.
"Bostrom is well regarded by the Honda factory, and it is a relationship the factory and himself are keen to see carry on," explained Griffiths.
