WSBK News

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.

The Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin team closed out the 2004 AMA Superbike season with strong performances from world championship regulars Lorenzo Lanzi and Regis Laconi, at Virginia International Raceway, USA.

Postponed by Hurricane Ivan, the rescheduled AMA season finale takes place this weekend at Virginia International Raceway, with the exciting triple-team of Eric Bostrom, Regis Laconi, and Lorenzo Lanzi riding the Ducati 999 for Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin.

James Toseland was crowned the 2004 World Superbike champion after a tense title showdown at Magny-Cours on Sunday, which ended with the #52 becoming the third British rider to take the SBK crown after Carl Fogarty and Neil Hodgson.

Foggy Petronas Racing riders Troy Corser and Chris Walker scored a top ten double in the final race of the 2004 Superbike World Championship to complete a second season of development for the FP1 and Carl Fogarty's team.

Fila Ducati's Regis Laconi took the championship lead from his team-mate James Toseland after two wars of attrition for the leading riders at the tenth round of World Superbikes from Imola on Sunday.

Foggy Petronas Racing riders Troy Corser and Chris Walker enter next weekend's final round of the Superbike World Championship looking to bounce back from a weekend of tribulation at Imola.

As the 17th season of World Superbike approaches its penultimate round At Imola there has never been quite so much at stake, for quite so many riders.

Gianluca Nannelli will compete in the final two rounds of World Superbikes aboard a third 999RS Xerox Ducati, along side Gary McCoy and Miguel Praia, instead of the Pedercini Ducati 998RS he has ridden this season.

Foggy Petronas Racing endured a deflating ninth round of the Superbike World Championship at Assen, the Netherlands.

Katsuaki Fujiwara was once again the fastest of the trio of Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra riders in final qualifying at Assen in Saturday's final qualifying. Fujiwara posted a lap of 2mins 07.675secs - more than a second faster then his previous best time in Friday's qualifying.

After several close calls earlier in the season, Pierfrancesco Chili took his first Superpole win of the 2004 season ahead of the Assen World Superbikes round. He took pole with a time of 2mins 03.103secs - the fastest official lap of the weekend so far.