Iddon not giving up on Bimota WSBK return

Encouraged by the performance of its bike during its brief WSBK outing this year, Bimota is said to be working hard towards a return for 2015.
Iddon not giving up on Bimota WSBK return

Christian Iddon says work is still going on behind-the-scenes to ensure Bimota can be present on the 2015 World Superbike Championship grid after falling foul of homologation regulations this year.

The Italian firm returned to WSBK competition in 2014 with its BMW-engined BB3 Superbike, but the entry remained provisional pending the production of 125 bikes by the end July, during which time Bimota was permitted to compete in the EVO class but could not score points.

However, when that deadline passed, Bimota has not met the required number, claiming it had produced and delivered 30 bikes, albeit with the means and equipment to produce the remaining 95.

Forcing the Alstare-run Bimota team to withdraw from the series with four rounds of the season remaining, it brought an early end to a brief but encouraging outing for both Iddon and team-mate Ayrton Badovini, with the bike proving capable of winning races at EVO level despite relatively little development.

With this in mind, Iddon insists the manufacturer is still working hard towards meeting the production quota stipulated in the regulations so it can return. According to current regulations, Bimota will need to have produced 1,000 bikes by the end of the 2015 season to meet homologation requirements.

"The Alstare Bimota squad has done a fantastic job this year on the bike given it was brand new," he told the WSBK website. "We fell foul of a rule which is there to make sure that there are no special bikes out there, which is absolutely spot on. I know everyone is working very hard to make sure we are on the grid next year so we will work towards that. We only missed four rounds this year so it's not the end of the world. Plans are progressing and I have god faith in both the team and the bike."

With the WSBK series set to return to a single-class format in 2015, Iddon believes Bimota has a bike capable of challenging at the front.

"Obviously, this year there have been two different regulations, the EVO class and the classic full-spec Superbike class. We could only race against the other EVO guys and there are some exceptionally talented riders in the class such as Salom, Canepa and Barrier.

"Between myself and Ayrton we have taken some great results and we managed to progress round by round. If everything goes to plan and we get a good testing base there's absolutely no reason why we couldn't fight somewhere very near the front."

Had Iddon's team-mate Badovini been eligible to score points, he would have been able to mount an EVO class title challenge against David Salom.

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