WSBK News

Kawasaki rider Chris Walker could find his season ended before it even begins following his diagnosis with Bell's Palsy. The disease causes partial paralysis of the face and has affected Walker such that he can't blink with one eye, can't move his lips or even swallow properly.

World Superbike champion Troy Bayliss has been called into action in Manchester this weekend. Bayliss, and fellow Ducati riders Neil Hodgson and James Toseland, toasted the launch of a ground breaking new store in front of representatives from the UK's motorcycling media.

The official entry list for the 2002 World Superbike season is as follows:

In what could still be their final season of World Superbike competition, the factory Kawasaki team know that they cannot afford to underachieve to the extent they did in 2001 despite having the oldest bike in the field and with two inexperienced WSB riders on their books, a largely trouble-free

The Ten Kate Honda team have signalled their intentions loud and clear during three days of testing down under on Phillip Island, Australia. Pere Riba recorded an incredible time on the last day of testing, a full 1.1 seconds inside the existing Supersport lap record at the windswept circuit.

Britain's premier Superbike riders Neil Hodgson and James Toseland have just completed a three-day test session at the Phillip Island circuit. The HM Plant Ducati men both expressed satisfaction with the results of the test that was attended by the cream of the Superbike World Championship.

Carl Fogarty has welcomed the news that Eskil Suter has been appointed as the engine developer for the Petronas race and road bike projects.

Carl Fogarty has officially completed the rider line-up of his new Foggy Petronas Racing team by capturing the coveted signature of former team-mate Troy Corser.

GSE Racing has announced that HM Plant will be its title sponsor for the 2002-2004 Superbike World Championship seasons.

Australia's Troy Corser has agreed to ride for the Foggy Petronas team this year, after lengthy discussions with team boss Carl Fogarty.

The 2001 World Superbike Championship saw Ducati Infostrada's Troy Bayliss complete assent to an Australian motorcycling plateau reserved for names such as Corser, Doohan and Gardner as he became World Champion in his first full season on a bike that continued to outstrip its rivals on almost eve

With both Suzuki and Aprilia and possibly Honda running only one factory bike in the 2002 World Superbike Championship, leading privateer Neil Hodgson looks to have a better chance than ever to secure a dream World Championship aboard his GSE Racing Ducati.

Four-time World Superbike Champion, Carl Fogarty, has swapped two wheels for four and taken delivery of a new, limited edition Jaguar XKR 100 convertible.

Noriyuki Haga has been confirmed as a fully fledged Aprilia rider for the 2002 World Superbike Championship aboard a factory prepared Aprilia RSV Mille run by the FGF Corse operation.

Changes are afoot in preparation for the upcoming new superbike and supersport season, with not only new riders and mechanics but, most notably, new relationships being made on the technical side too.

Team Alstare Suzuki has confirmed that it will continue to contest both the Superbike and Supersport World Championships in 2002 as a Suzuki-supported team.

Carl Fogarty has agreed a deal with Malaysian oil and gas producers Petronas to run the all-new Sauber-developed GP1 engine in next year's World Superbike series.

Petronas, Malaysia's national petroleum corporation, has confirmed that it will race its high-performance GP1 motorcycle engine from the fifth leg of the 2002 World Superbike Championship next year.

Japanese Honda rider Tadayuki Okada, who won six MotoGP grands prix, has retired from racing after a 14 year career.

Next year's WSBK schedule bears close resemblance to the 2001 example, but features the arrival of Silverstone in the UK and an as yet unknown French venue.

Following a meeting held at Imola on September 29, the Superbike Commission, composed of Messrs. Claude Danis (FIM), Paolo Alberto Flammini (SBK International), Takanao Tsubouchi (MSMA) and Giulio Bardi (Team representative), made the following changes to Art.

Troy Corser experienced the highs and lows of racing at Imola yesterday during the last round of the 2001 Superbike world Championship.

Newly crowned 2001 World Superbike Champion Troy Bayliss will not take the start of the second race of the day at Imola after it was discovered that the Australian rider had fractured his right collarbone in his penultimate lap accident with Regis Laconi at the San Marino Grand Prix venue.

Complete results from race two at the 4.390km Dino Ferrari circuit in Imola, round 13 of the 2001 World Superbike Championship.