GSE racing to return in 2005?

Respected sources close to Crash.net have indicated that GSE racing is set to make a comeback to racing in the 2005 British Superbike championship.

The GSE team most recently enjoyed World Superbike podium success in 2003, with James Toseland and Chris Walker. The team then withdrew from racing but is now believed to be planning a return, in BSB, as the factory Ducati team.

Paul Bird and Monstermob were the factory Ducati team in 2004, with Sean Emmett at the helm. However, the F04 Ducati rarely finished ahead of the four-cylinder machines of HM Plant Honda or Rizla Suzuki.

It is suggested that a disagreement arose between Paul Bird and the Ducati manufacturer when Bird sought a potential partnership with Honda in 2005.

GSE have now been indicated as the factory Ducati team for 2005, and so could enjoy close support from the Bologna based company to help take the 999 to the top of the highly respected British Superbike championship.

Crash.net sources suggest that there will be two factory backed F05 GSE Ducatis in the series next season, with one bike being ridden by an official factory rider.

This raises many questions as to which Ducati rider could be within the scope for a BSB ride next season, with no obvious conclusions.

Currently contracted to Ducati in MotoGP are Troy Bayliss, Loris Capirossi and test rider Vittoriano Guareschi; Of the trio, only Guareschi would be seen as a 'possible' for any BSB position, but his services may well be needed to develop next season's Desmosedici GP5.

But what about the World Superbike riders?

Regis Laconi and James Toseland currently ride for the Fila backed factory Ducati team in WSBK. Toseland especially has already ridden for the GSE team in 2003 in WSBK, but is also unlikely to want to move back to BSB after two years as a frontrunner in the world championship.

Two more likely candidates are therefore AMA Ducati Superbike rider Eric Bostrom or Ducati's official World Supersport rider Lorenzo Lanzi.

Of the two, Lanzi is the youngest by some margin, at 23, and as such is the right age to be moulded by the factory team into a MotoGP winner over the next few years.

Lanzi has enjoyed a great deal of success in the World Supersport championship on the 749R, and only last weekend at Imola scored a highly credible fourth place for the Italian manufacturer, at their home event.

A move from WSS into BSB would be the next step for young Lanzi, as not only would he be gaining experience on a more powerful Superbike, he would be entering one of the most competitive championships in the world, standing him in good stead for any future move to WSBK or MotoGP.

This would allow the other position at the GSE Ducati team to be filled by a BSB usual, giving the team someone with experience who could win races, whilst they 'brought-on' a younger rider for the future.

This arrangement would work much in the same way HM Plant Honda have done this season with the experienced Michael Rutter and 'young gun' Ryuichi Kiyonari.

Watch this space for further developments...