News from Around the World

 

Damian Cudlin to Team Suzuki, December 2nd, 2003.

Damian Cudlin will ride for Team Suzuki in the 2004 Australian Superbike Championship.  Cudlin will be teamed with three time Australian Superbike Champion, Shawn Giles, on board the all-conquering Phil Tainton tuned GSX-R 1000s.

 

Merriman switching camps for 2004, December 2nd, 2003.

Current World Enduro Champion, Stefan Merriman has signed an two year agreement to race World and Italian Enduro with team UFO Corse. The New Zealand born Australian has revealed he will ride a Yamaha in the upcoming Enduro season. Merriman has had a sterling year with Honda in 2003 winning 250cc class in World Enduro Champs, the prestigious Extreme Lummezane, every round of the Italian Enduro Champs and finished runner up to Stefan Everts at the International Six Days of Enduro in Brazil last month.

 

Bostrom meets with Ducati Corse in Italy, December 2nd, 2003.

Yesterday saw the first visit to the Bologna factory for Eric Bostrom, the rider Ducati Corse have chosen to head the Italian manufacturer's attack on the AMA Superbike championship.  The 27 year-old from San Francisco, California, tried out the 2004 version of the Ducati 999 factory bike he will be using in next year's 18-race US domestic championship, just before it gets freighted off to America.

World Superbike 2004 – Calendar, December 3rd, 2003.

1.      February 29 - Valencia, Spain (World Supersport also)

2.      March 28 - Phillip Island, Australia (World Supersport also)

3.      April 18 - Misano, San Marino (World Supersport also)

4.      May 16 - Monza, Italy (World Supersport also)

5.      May 30 - Oschersleben, Germany (World Supersport also)

6.      June 13 - Silverstone, UK (World Supersport also)

7.      July 4 - TBA

8.      July 11 - Laguna Seca, USA (No World Supersport at this round)

9.      August 1 - Brands Hatch, UK (World Supersport also)

10.  September 5 - Assen, Netherlands (World Supersport also)

11.  September 26 - Imola, Italy (World Supersport also)

12.  October 3 - Magny Cours, France (World Supersport also)

Suzuki takes out International Bike of The Year again, December 8th, 2003.

For the second time in just three years Suzuki's benchmark sportsbike has beaten the best in the world to win the most prestigious award in the global motorcycle market. Incredibly, it is also the sixth time in the past eight years that Suzuki has won the award.

 

Kawasaki ZX-10R - 2004 Model Information.

Dry Weight - 170 kilograms

Fuel Capacity - 17 litres

Claimed Maximum Power - 175hp (128.4kw) @ 11,700rpm (184hp/135.3kw with ram-air) Claimed Maximum Torque - 115 N-m @ 9,500rpm

 

MotoGP 2004 - Provisional Entry List, December 10th, 2003.

 

3. Max Biaggi (ITA) Honda, Camel Pramac Honda Pons
4. Alex Barros (BRA) Yamaha, Fortuna Yamaha Team
6. Makoto Tamada (JPN) Honda, Camel Pramac Honda Pons
7. Carlos Checa (SPA) Yamaha, Gauloises Yamaha Team
9. Nobuatsu Aoki (JPN) Proton, KR Proton Team KR
10. Kenny Roberts (USA) Suzuki, Suzuki Grand Prix Team
11. Ruben Xaus (SPA) Ducati, D'Antin MotoGP
12. Troy Bayliss (AUS) Ducati, Ducati Marlboro Team
15. Sete Gibernau (SPA) Honda, Telefonica Movistar Honda
21. John Hopkins (USA) Suzuki, Suzuki Grand Prix Team
33. Marco Melandri (ITA) Yamaha, Fortuna Yamaha Team
45. Colin Edwards (USA) Honda, Telefonica Movistar Honda
46. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Yamaha, Gauloises Yamaha Team
56. Shinya Nakano (JPN) Kawasaki, Kawasaki Racing Team
65. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Ducati, Ducati Marlboro Team
66. Alex Hofmann (GER) Kawasaki, Kawasaki Racing Team
67. Shane Byrne (GBR) Aprilia, Aprilia Racing
69. Nicky Hayden (USA) Honda, Repsol Honda
80. Kurtis Roberts (USA) Proton KR, Proton Team KR
99. Jeremy McWilliams (GBR) Aprilia, Aprilia Racing
Tba. Neil Hodgson (GBR) Ducati, D'Antin MotoGP
Tba. Honda, Repsol Honda
Tba. Harris WCM WCM
Tba. Harris WCM WCM

McCoy to World Superbike, December 15th, 2003.

Australian Garry McCoy will ride a Ducati in the 2004 Superbike World Championship, after failing to broker a deal to continue his stellar MotoGP career. The 31-year-old, from Camden in NSW, will fill the seat at NCR Ducati vacated by Frenchman Regis Laconi, in what will be his first foray into the production-based four-stroke class.

Five Australians will now compete in the 2004 world Superbike title, with McCoy set to join 1996 world champion Troy Corser (Foggy Petronas), Steve Martin (DFX Ducati), ex World Endurance Champion Warwick Nowland and recently crowned world Supersport champion Chris Vermeulen on the grid – the country’s best full-time representation since 2001.