The racing season is fast approaching, and I know I say it every year but this season, particularly the WSB series looks like being a classic for us in the UK. No less than seven Brits will line up on the grid for the first round in Phillip Island. That’s a quarter of the whole entry list! None of ’em could be considered ‘also-rans’ either.
Ulsterman Jonathan Rea on the Hannspree Ten-Kate Honda, for many pundits, starts as one of the favourites for the World Championship. The team made a couple of breakthroughs last season after which Jonathan pushed at the front most races and looks to start 2010 the same way. Another man with a distinct shot at the title in my opinion is Leon Haslam. After a year working minor miracles on a very private Honda run by the superbly organised but under-funded Stiggy team, Haslam gets his chance on some full-factory tackle in the shape of the Alstare Suzuki. Both Haslam and Rea have been setting the pace in every pre-season test so far.
Shane Byrne starts his second full season in the Championship aboard the Althea 1098R Ducati. Considered an under-achiever last year Shakey is determined to show he has what it takes to mix it at this level. For me a lot depends on the team getting some proper support from Ducati, if they do we could see the popular (and swift) Londoner standing on top of a WSB podium again.
After a year dominating BSB, reigning British champ Leon Camier moves onto the World stage aboard a factory Aprillia, alongside Max Biaggi. I have no doubt about Camier’s ability, but it’s an Italian team, with an Italian legend as number one rider, the word ‘favouritism’ springs to mind. But if he gets the support he deserves Leon is capable of rostrums.
After ’09 playing a good second fiddle to Ben Spies at Yamaha Italy, Tom Sykes stays in the World Championship with a switch to Paul Bird’s Factory Kawasaki squad where he’ll partner Moto GP refugee Chris Vermeulen. The team’s testing hasn’t exactly gone to plan so far but Kawasaki say they’re going to bring all their MotoGP experience to bear in WSB this year.
This should pay dividends, especially where electronics is concerned, but who knows? For me, Sykes’ main goal is to consistently beat his team-mate and be first Kawasaki man home every weekend.
And then the dream-team. Yamaha Italy have gone for two Brits in the form of twice World Champion James Toseland and reigning World Supersport champion Cal Crutchlow. We know from last year the bike and team are good enough to do the business. If JT can put the disappointments of the last couple of seasons in MotoGP behind him and recapture the form that twice took him to the title you’d have a few quid on him again. If testing is anything to go by Cal Crutchlow’s transition from winning WSS into WSB has been seamless. He’s ridden in the superbike class before in BSB and the super-confident midlander has just about had the edge on his team-mate in testing, both running strong in the top five.
And let’s not forget Leon Haslam’s team-mate at Alstare Suzuki, Sylvan Guintolli. He lives in Leicester, he’s married to an English lass and has competed in the British Championship. If he gets on the podium we’re allowed to claim him as an honorary Brit. If not – he’s French!
Make no mistake, there’s a genuine possibility of us seeing an all British podium or two in WSB this season. I can’t imagine what it’s going to be like in the Eurosport commentary booth if and when that happens. I remember when Chris Walker won in the wet at Assen some years ago. I started crying (in a butch, masculine way obviously) and Jack fell off his chair!
Last week I did what seemed like a full lap of Yorkshire with Leon Haslam, Cal Crutchlow, and BSB front-runners Stuart Easton and Ian Hutchinson. It was three hours of pain. Every time I arrived at a gate or a road crossing they’d been waiting five minutes and would set off before I could even speak! Don’t be fooled by the picture if I appear to be enjoying myself.As it was taken I was in dire need of an iron lung.
More medical attention was required when I took a fella flying in my little plane recently. He’d won the flight in a charity auction I was hosting at a local bike club do. As the bloke was from York I said I’d pick him up from his nearest airstrip, Elvington, instead of him driving over to my place. The runway at Elvington is huge and most famous in recent years for being the place where Richard Hammond went tits-up in that jet-car thing.
There was quite a stiff breeze blowing on the day so my little craft was being thrown around a bit as he and his family watched me land and taxi over to him. I think ’coz of this he was already a bit nervous.He got even more apprehensive when, as I’m stood up in the cockpit, trying to look professional, explaining the correct procedure for him to climb in, a gust of wind caught the open canopy and slammed it down catching me right on the bridge of the nose and sending me slithering down into my own footwell.
The rest of the flight went off according to plan, except for the fact I had to do it with bits of tissue stuffed up my nostrils so I didn’t get blood all over my seats!
