WSBK News

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.

The FIM has today announced the finalised 2005 World Superbike and Supersport World Championship calendar.

As previously reported by Crash.net , Yamaha sources are now confirming that Norick Abe will be racing in the World Superbike championship this season.

After nine years in the World Superbike Championship, Frankie Chili will ride a Honda for the first time in his WSBK career next year after signing for Supersport graduates Klaffi Honda.

New Foggy Petronas Racing rider Steve Martin will join team-mate Garry McCoy in using Alpinestars racing products for the forthcoming World Superbike campaign.

250cc GP frontrunner Fonsi Nieto has declared that he'd be proud to ride for the Caracchi-NCR Ducati team in World Superbikes next season.

The Superbike Commission, composed of Messrs.

Yamaha's official racing magazine, The Insider , has hinted at the return of World Superbike star Noriyuki Haga to the Japanese factory in 2005.

A strong contingent of 2005 Worls Superbike and Supersport championship contenders, attending an unofficial test at Valencia on 13th and 14th December, found their plans to test their new machines somewhat hampered by the cold and generally wet weather conditions.

Atrocious weather conditions welcomed testers at the Valencia circuit for an unofficial two-day test organized for the 2005 World Supersport and Superbike teams, which started on Monday.

Alstare Suzuki's new signing Yukio Kagayama recently announced his intention to take the World Superbike championship next season, over former champion and team-mate Troy Corser.

Former Yamaha Italia rider Jurgen van den Goorbergh, who finished third in the World Supersport title chase this season, has signed to ride for the SLM Ducati team for next season.

Yamaha's 2005 World Superbike championship campaign got underway today when new signing Andrew Pitt completed 75 laps in a shakedown test on an R1 at Valencia in Spain.

Renegade Ducati boss Mark Griffiths has admitted he'll look back on his team's debut World Superbike season with a mixture of joy and pain - and declared that star rider Noriyuki Haga currently remains a Renegade rider, despite negotiations with Yamaha.

Renegade Koji Ducati has told Crash.net that they have had interest from MotoGP, WSBK and AMA SBK riders to fill Leon Haslam's departure and Noriyuki Haga's possible absence from the team next season.

Ducati Corse has confirmed that 2004 World Superbike champion James Toseland will stay with the factory team to defend his title next season - and will again be joined by Frenchman Regis Laconi.

Five-times AMA Superbike champion Mat Mladin has completed his first test session aboard the all-new 2005 model Suzuki GSX-R1000 that he will use to defend his American title next season - and which will also be given to Alstare Suzuki for WSBK and Rizla Suzuki for BSB.

Former Foggy Petronas Racing riders Troy Corser and Chris Walker, who will move to Alstare Suzuki and PSG-1 Kawasaki respectively next season, have stated that a lack of horsepower remains the FP-1's biggest problem - and was the main reason for their decision to leave Carl Fogarty's team.

The NEC bike show opened to the press and trade today with official confirmation that Yukio Kagayama will be joining the Alstare Corona Suzuki World Superbike team next season - and that Corona will be expanding their WSBK effort by becoming the championship's title sponsor.

With the 2004 NEC International Motorcycle and Scooter show opening to the press and trade today (Thursday), Crash.net has now set-up camp within the impressive Alstare Corona Suzuki World Superbike stand.

Sources close to Crash.net have indicated that MV Agusta will be making a return to racing in World Super Stock in 2005.

Maybe its down to the exciting racing seen in MotoGP or World Superbikes, maybe its down to celebrity riders like Jamie Oliver, or maybe its just because of increased road congestion and fuel prices, but there is little doubt that motorcycles and scooters have experienced a boom in popularity ove

Yamaha's officially-supported Yamaha Motor Italia squad has confirmed that it will switch from the World Supersport Championship and enter a two-rider team in the 2005 World Superbike Championship.

Chris Walker today announced that he will ride for the PSG-1 Kawasaki team in next season's Superbike World championship. The 32-year-old from Nottingham, England, was the first rider to secure a podium finish for Foggy Petronas Racing in this season's first race at Valencia, Spain.