Due to winning the 2009 World Superbike Championship, Yamaha Sterligarda rider Ben Spies was recognized this week in the U.S. House of Representatives by Congressman Louie Gohmert, R-Texas.
"Mr. Speaker, here on the floor...of the United States House of Representatives, tribute must be paid to the incredible achievement of a constituent of the First District of Texas, from Longview, he's already a legend, Ben Spies," said said. "Ben Spies is to be congratulated upon his winning the 2009 FIM Superbike World Championship. He has no doubt blazed a trail for future successes with his steady hand, nerves of steel, and balance like nowhere found here in the House of Representatives."
Another Hayden has risen to global racing status. For the 2010 season, Roger Lee Hayden will join Pedercini Kawasaki in World Superbike.
The youngest brother of MotoGP’s Nicky Hayden and AMA Superbike’s Tommy Hayden, Roger took the 2007 AMA Supersport Championship on a Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R, and was named AMA Superbike Rookie of the Year in 2008.
“I am really happy to be participating in the World Superbike Championship next year with the Pedercini Team,” Roger said. “It has always been my goal to race in a World Championship Series, and now I have the opportunity. It’s a big difference from what I did last year, but I'm ready and looking forward to taking that next step.”
Roger, 26, of Owensboro, Kentucky, has experience on a world-class level due to a 2007 MotoGP wildcard entry in the U.S. Grand Prix where he finished tenth, and recently finished 12th in AMA Daytona SportBike championship. Both were on Kawasakis.
“I have experience on the Kawasaki Superbike, so that does not make everything completely new,” he said. “It should be fun learning and racing at the new circuits and of course we have a home round in Salt Lake at Miller Motorsports Park. My first test will be at Portimao towards the end of January and I can't wait to get back on a bike again!”
Team manager Lucio Pedercini added: “We're very happy with our signing of Roger. He is a young rider and we hope to realize his full potential and guide him through his debut as we strongly believe that Hayden will put us in a good position to compete in the next Superbike World Championship. He has been competitive on Kawasaki machinery in the USA, he knows the Kawasaki ZX-10R and we want to continue developing his career within Kawasaki. We understand that Roger may need some time to adapt himself to our team, the new circuits and to such a difficult and competitive championship as World Superbike, but we are sure about his talent, motivation and determination.”
The Yamaha Sterligarda man, who will race in MotoGP for 2010 alongside fellow Texan Colin Edwards, will be competing against three candidates for the award: the Formula 1 Brawn Racing Team, which also won a title in its first year, Stewart-Haas Racing which finished sixth in the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Parker Kligerman, who finished runner-up in the ARCA stock car series in the USA.
So make sure to vote…not only does Spies deserve it, but also the whole motorcycle racing industry.
Nakano announces retirment from World Superbike Racing
World Superbike Press Release
At the end of a World Superbike season in which he had a number of crashes and injuries that prevented him from expressing his and his Aprilia RSV4's potential, Japanese rider Shinya Nakano has decided to step down from racing. His decision was announced in a press conference held in Japan on October 28th.
"This year has been a really tough one," declared an emotional Nakano. "I've concentrated on treatment after breaking my collarbone during Round 3 in Spain and straining my neck in Round 11 in Germany, but by missing a few races, I've been a burden to my team as well as to others involved. I feel that as a professional rider, it's time to stop racing if I'm not in a perfect condition to do so. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the motorcycle manufacturers who believed in my potential and offered me contracts, to the sponsors supporting the race, and to the fans that have always supported me. From now on, if I can put such experience to good use, I would like to keep contributing to the motorcycle world".
Thirty-two year old Nakano, from Chiba (Japan), competed in his first full world championship season in 1999. His best results came in the 250 cc class, where he finished fourth overall and then runner-up behind team-mate Olivier Jacque in 2000, losing out by just 7 points. In 250 cc Nakano picked up a total of six wins. In 2001 he moved up to 500 cc and until the end of the 2008 season raced in MotoGP. Results did not live up to expectations however, and in eight seasons the Japanese rider only stepped on to the podium three times. This year he switched to WSB but his season was conditioned by injuries. His best result was fourth place in race 1 in Qatar.
Sykes confirmed alongside Vermeulen in Kawasaki factory team
World Superbike Press Release
The Kawasaki World Superbike Racing Team has completed its 2010 season rider line-up by signing Tom Sykes to compete alongside Chris Vermeulen on the officially entered Ninja ZX-10R machines.
Sykes finished his first full WSB season last Sunday, in ninth place overall.
The jovial and popular Yorkshireman is a product of the strong UK racing scene and has indeed ridden for Kawasaki World Superbike Racing team principle Paul Bird's BSB team in 2007, with five podium finishes to his credit that year. Tom also has a second place WSB race finish on his CV, when riding as a wildcard at Brands Hatch in 2008.
Said Sykes of his move to Kawasaki in 2010, "I'm very excited to join Kawasaki and the Paul Bird team. I have worked with Paul before and the team is full of very capable people. It is good for me to be still working with a manufacturer and I see a lot of potential in the project. We all want to achieve the same goal. I learned a lot in my first full WSB season and I feel next year I can put that into practice. I am very fortunate to be in the situation I am in now, joining with Kawasaki, and I think 2010 is going to be a very exciting time. I have only spoken to Chris Vermeulen a couple of times but I am sure we will get on great. He seems very laid back and a down-to-earth sort of guy. The good thing for the team and myself is that he is very experienced and will bring a lot to the table. I am sure we can be a good partnership."
2010 World Superbike season tests start at full throttle
World Superbike Press Release
The first day of 2010 season testing got underway in dry and warm conditions at Portimao, with many new faces and rider combos in view for World Superbike.
It was an existing bike and rider combination which set the fastest time, when Jonathan Rea made a best of 1’42.156, closely followed by Michel Fabrizio on a 1’42.362. Cal Crutchlow set a blistering 1’42.795 to go third fastest in his first Yamaha WSB experience.
The riding line up featured some riders who are testing with their new teams for the first time, and several other riders either ‘auditioning’ for a ride in 2010, or having a ride to help gather data for off-season development.
The fastest rider on show early on was Jonathan Rea, with WSS regular Joan Lascorz fast on the official Kawasaki, despite a fall midway through the day.
Double World Superbike Champion James Toseland got to grips with a Superbike again, alongside his Yamaha YZF-R1 team-mate Crutchlow, who was himself moving to a new class after winning WSS on Sunday.
Max Neukirchner had his first taste of Honda power for a couple of years in the Ten Kate Honda pit, and was quick after his recent recovery from injury. Leon Haslam was also fast on his first Suzuki ride ever.
Tom Sykes rode a Kawasaki Superbike today, with an injured shoulder, while Regis Laconi and Javier Fores tried out their DFX Ducatis for size. The Althea team took its first Ducati footsteps, with their new signing Carlos Checa.
Not all riders had transponders fitted to their machines, therefore the times below are not official, but gathered from a number of sources. The tests continue for one more day, on 28 October.
Crutchlow and Toseland complete their first day of testing on the Yamaha R1
Yamaha Press Release
2010 Yamaha World Superbike riders James Toseland and Cal Crutchlow wasted no time today, getting straight down to business with their first ride on the championship winning R1. Both riders were working with their new teams for the first time, but gelled quickly and had got down to under the race pace of Sunday’s championship final before the end of the first sessions.
Today’s session was the first step in adapting the bikes to their new riders, both Toseland and Crutchlow will start again tomorrow morning to make further changes and close in on the perfect set up for their 2010 race season. Despite a high speed high side in the morning session, Cal Crutchlow showed no signs of slowing down and continued to make significant time improvements over the afternoon’s practice time. New team mate and fellow British rider James Toseland also showed solid improvement over the day, despite being new to the bike and track he quickly got down to business and continued to shave time off his laps over the course of the sessions.
Having achieved an incredible victory on Sunday and lifted the World Superbike title for the first time, the Yamaha team were straight to business today, working hard to develop championship winning riders for the next season.
Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha World Superbike Team (1'42.7): “It was a good enough day apart from a stupid crash this morning after about 30 laps, there seemed to be something wrong with my rear tyre which caused me to high side. I hit my head and have had a few headaches today but ok apart from that. The testing has gone well, we’ve done quite reasonable times, all credit to the guys who’ve worked really hard. We haven’t changed much on the bike today, just tried to make it my bike a bit, tomorrow we’ll do some more and see how we go.”
James Toseland, Yamaha World Superbike Team(1'43.7): “I’m feeling really positive, it’s obviously my first time on the bike, it felt a bit alien after two years on a GP bike but the balance of the bike felt good and I’m really impressed with how the team’s working, I’ve got an old friend of mine as a chief engineer. I’ve been really impressed to work with him today and Silvano Galbusera (Yamaha World Superbike Team Technical Co-ordinator) looking over him with his experience has been great. What’s been nice is the changes we’ve been making have always been in a positive direction, so to say we’ve got down to more or less race pace on a brand new track and a brand new bike is good, I’m pretty pleased with it.”
Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha World Superbike Team: “Cal’s first day went pretty well, it was easier for him compared to James as he already knew the track, but it was still a really good first test session for him. For James everything was new today, the bike, the track, tyres, many things! I think tomorrow he will make another step. For the first day we are very satisfied with both riders.”
Spies makes history with Yamaha to claim first ever World Superbike victory
World Superbike Press Release
Ben Spies and Yamaha made history yesterday at Portimao, claiming the first ever Word Superbike title for the Yamaha World Superbike Team. In yet another Ben Spies Masterclass of riding, the American rookie sensation took a race win and a well executed fifth place finish to lift the title for Yamaha for the first time.
Race one saw a textbook performance from Spies, taking the holeshot on the first corner and leading from the first lap. Perfectly executed lines and smooth riding saw him cross the line nearly two seconds ahead of a determined Biaggi who had stalked him for the entire race. Championship rival Noriyuki Haga crashed out six laps into the race, leaving Spies some breathing room for race two.
With the extra points behind him and less pressure for an outright race win Spies kept himself in check for race two, monitoring Haga's position and keeping a steady race pace as he counted the laps down to victory. The American let a couple of riders passed then tucked in behind Biaggi for a number of laps. After the Italian rider ran wide a couple of times, Spies turned on some extra speed to pass him and brought his championship winning Yamaha R1 home in fifth place to take victory.
Spies can now claim 14 Superbike race wins and 11 pole position race starts in his rookie year, breaking all records since the championship began. He leads the standings with 462 points, six clear of rival Haga.
Yamaha World Superbike rider Tom Sykes unfortunately missed out on the last two races of the 2009 Championship. The British rider continues to struggle with an injury sustained to the Labrum in the shoulder socket following a collision with Carlos Checa at the previous round in Magny Cours. Sykes gave 100% effort in the early riding sessions of the weekend but struggled to cope with the very physical Portimao circuit. The Yamaha Superbike Team expressed disappointed not to have been able to end their one year relationship with Tom on a high note, but supported his decision not to ride, putting riders safety and health first.
Ben Spies said: "I've got to thank Yamaha for giving me the bike I need to win. We had a really good first race, in the second we did what we had to do to win. It was quite difficult to keep it in check as the pace was pretty fast, I saw I had a couple of people behind me and I knew that if Nori won I had to be in sixth and that's where I was so I tried to get a bit of a gap on them and stay out of trouble. Max came through the inside of me and ran off a couple of times which really freaked me out so I went to get past him and then settled in for some nice fast laps to the end. It's been a spectacular day and I can't thank those people enough that have been behind me. It's been incredible to do it for Yamaha, and especially in my first year here. I don't think I really realize what's happening right now but I'm sure it's going to hit me in a couple of days!"
Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha World Superbike Team Manager, declared: "I feel great! This is the first time I've had this victory feeling. I was so nervous for this whole weekend. Ben showed us that the speed he had was ok but I know Nori very well and Ducati as well so I was always worried that something was going to come. Fortunately we finished very well. I want to thank everyone, not just the people here in the team and Yamaha but the people at home, mine and the team's families, they give us a lot of support and are patient, I think it is hard for them to so thank you to my wife!"
Spies wins World Superbike Championship at Portimao
American Ben Spies was crowned World Superbike Champion Sunday at the Algarve Circuit in Portugal. Spies won the first race on his Yamaha R1 and took a conservative fifth-place finish in the second. It was a remarkable end to the season for the 25-year-old rider from Dallas, a three-time AMA Superbike Champion and rookie in World Superbike.
Spies was 10 points behind Japanese rider Noriyuki Haga coming into the final two races in Portugal. Spies took victory in the first leg, while Haga crashed his Ducati on lap seven.
"It was actually a really tough race,” Spies said of race one. “At first I was just going for the win, getting to the front and not worrying about anything. Then when Haga was out I had to win to get as many points as possible for race two. Once you have a gap, you don't want to be stupid and throw it all away."
Haga scoring no points gave Spies a 15-point lead going into the final race of the year. In the second race Spies ran as high as second early, before gradually dropping back to a safe position at the tail end the leading group of six riders. Italian Michel Fabrizio took the win in the second race, followed by Haga and Jonathan Rea of Great Britain. Spies passed Max Biaggi in the closing laps and cruised home to fifth. That finish was good enough to secure the championship for Spies by six points (462-456) over Haga.
"First I've got to thank Yamaha for giving me everything I needed to win. It was really good, we did what we had to do and it was difficult to do that because the pace was quite fast and I saw that there were a couple of people behind me. I knew that if Nori won I had to be sixth, so I tried to stay out of trouble. It was spectacular; I can't thank Yamaha enough and everyone who's been behind me for my first year here. It'll sink in in the next couple of days!"
This weekend concluded one of the greatest individual seasons in series' history. Spies won the title with 14 race wins in 28 starts and a record-breaking 11 pole positions. In a single season of racing Spies is tied for 12th on the all-time World Superbike career wins list.
Spies becomes the first American rider since fellow Texan Colin Edwards in 2002 to win the World Superbike title. Edwards and Spies will be teammates on the Tech 3 Yamaha MotoGP squad in 2010. Spies will race as a wildcard entry in the year-ending MotoGP event in Valencia on November 8.
It was an outstanding weekend for Yamaha having secured the MotoGP, World Superbike and World Supersport titles on the same day. Spies' win gives Yamaha its first title in World Superbike.
Spies takes Superpole Number 11 at Portimao; Haga starts from Row 3
World Superbike Press Release
The final Superpole session of 2009 went the same way as ten others this season as Ben Spies made it 11 out of 14 for the Yamaha World Superbike team, an outright record for the series, at the Algarve Circuit in Portugal. The Texan's lap time of 1 minute 42.412 seconds was almost one second under last year's best lap set by Troy Bayliss.
Spies thus becomes the number 1 favourite for the race wins tomorrow, seeing as his chief rival for the title, points leader Noriyuki Haga (Ducati Xerox) will only start from row 3 of the grid with the tenth quickest time, after not making the cut in Superpole 2. Partial consolation for Ducati came from the performance by privateer Shane Byrne (Sterilgarda Ducati) and Haga's team-mate Michel Fabrizio, who were in second and third place respectively. The front row was completed by Jonathan Rea (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda).
If Ben Spies wins both races at the final round in Portugal Sunday, not only will the American take the championship title, but he'll also become a part of World Superbike history.
Going into Portimao, Spies has already won 13 races, stood on the podium 16 times, and set fastest-lap records an impressive six times. The WSB rookie created these stats on mostly unknown circuits, even saying his knowledge of the layouts was enhanced by playing video games. A Spies win will be good for the manufacturer also; if Spies goes all the way, he will be the first rider to take the title on a Yamaha.
Following on the recent announcement that Chris Vermeulen will race a factory-backed Kawasaki in next season's World Superbike Championship, team owner Paul Bird has today announced that it will be Yorkshireman Tom Sykes who will partner the Australian aboard the works Ninja ZX-10Rs.
Whereas Vermeulen, the 2003 World Supersport Champion and winner of the 2007 French MotoGP, is linking up with maverick Cumbrian businessman Bird for the first time, it will be Sykes' second spell with the team having raced in British Superbikes in 2007 whereby he was a regular podium finisher. 24-year-old Sykes, from Huddersfield, made his full-time WSB debut this season, scoring a best result of 4th at Assen to add to his wild card podium at Donington in 2008.
Guintoli to get early WSB debut with Alstare Suzuki at Portima
World Superbike Press Release
In the wake of his signing with the Suzuki Alstare team for the 2010 WSB championship, Sylvain Guintoli is set to make an early debut in the series next week, when he lines up for the final round in Portugal on October 25th. The Frenchman will join Yukio Kagayama, who will take his place next year in the Crescent Suzuki team in the BSB, for the race.
Before arriving at the Portuguese Round however, Guintoli underwent surgery last week to remove a screw from the plates used to repair the tibia and fibula smashed in an early-season crash at Donington.
Althea Racing Team is thrilled to announce that in the upcoming 2010 racing season the team will use the 2010 model Ducati 1098R. Due to the excellent relationship between Genesio Bevilacqua, the team's owner, and the Italian motorcycle company, the Althea team will be able to use highly competitive Ducati motorcycles together with an expert technical staff that matches Ducati's expectations. Massimo Tulli will handle all of the motorbike settings and technical co-ordination.
The rider selected to reach the team's ambitious target is Carlos Checa, one of the best Superbike, 500 and MotoGP world championship riders. The Althea Ducati team will use four motorcycles, but to date the team has still not yet decided if someone else will be riding with Carlos Checa for the new season, as negotiations are still pending with some important riders. Carlos Checa and the Althea Ducati Team will take part in the two-day testing on October 27/28 at the Portimao Circuit in Portugal.
As big names in modern racing go, few are bigger than Max Biaggi, a rider who is simply getting better and better he approaches his 40th birthday in a couple of years. His WSB career has been a remarkable one already, having ridden for not only three different manufacturers in three years, but on three different configurations of machine - a straight four Suzuki, a privateer Ducati V-twin and now an Aprilia V-four.
Max has been a podium finisher on all three types and having now made 79 WSB race starts, he has taken a remarkable total of 32 podiums, including four wins. His podium total even after only three years is the 16th best in WSB's entire history, and his podium percentage rate is a very strong 40.50%!
Max has two races of the 2009 season left to improve those statistics, but there is currently one glaring omission from his otherwise impressive list of achievements. In three years Max has never won Superpole, not even once. For the moment...
Guintoli and Haslam sign for Alstare Suzuki for 2010 World Superbike season
Team Suzuki Press Release
Frenchman Sylvain Guintoli and Briton Leon Haslam will join Suzuki Alstare for the 2010 World Superbike Championship season - the 25th anniversary of the Suzuki GSXR.
Negotiations with Sylvain Guintoli began late last Thursday evening and continued throughout the weekend to finalise the agreement. Thanks to the quick response and excellent collaboration between Suzuki Japan, Suzuki GB and Team Crescent's Paul Denning, the team was quickly able to conclude a very satisfactory deal allowing Guintoli's arrival at Alstare and Yukio Kagayama's return to BSB with Team Crescent, who are looking forward to working with him again.
Alstare would like to thank Kagayama for his skill and courage during the five years of working together and wish him all the best in his fight for the BSB crown next year.
Francis Batta:
"Sylvain already knows about the Suzuki GSX-R and Pirelli tyres and his professionalism and motivation for this new challenge are positive factors for us to start working together straight away.
"We at Team Suzuki Alstare are also very happy to welcome a British rider. The Suzuki UK distributor has always given great support to Team Suzuki Alstare and all of us are delighted to have signed Leon Haslam for the 2010 World Superbike Championship. Leon has a good family set-up and they advise, support and help him very well. He has a real fighting spirit and is one of the best riders in the WSBK series, for sure. We are certain he will fit in perfectly with the Team Suzuki Alstare structure, as we both share the same desire to work hard and to win.
"With a team of such quality and experience as Suzuki Alstare, we feel that Leon will have a very bright future."
Leon Haslam:
"The opportunity to join Team Suzuki Alstare was something that my father and I took extremely seriously immediately. The team enjoys direct support from the manufacturer and a long history of success, so joining them offers me an exciting step forward in my career.
"Meeting Francis Batta and listening to his plans and desire to succeed confirmed the potential of the whole team and its infrastructure. Suzuki Alstare has a very experienced team of technicians and potential for development, both in-house and via the factory in Japan. This means that the team is 100 per cent geared up to win the 2010 World Superbike Championship.
"This is naturally opening a new chapter in my own career and one that I relish. The team has a promising winter test plan with the Suzuki factory, so I'm very much looking forward to these tests, the 2010 World Superbike Championship and challenging for the world title."
It was always going to be particularly tough for the all-new BMW Motorrad Motorsport Team to make the same impact as some other official teams in 2009 - but in many ways the entire WSB project has already been voted a real success.
A mix of outwardly conventional and some completely home-grown technologies, the S1000RR WSB machine has already powered Troy Corser to 11 top ten finishes, including a top five at Brno, in a super-tough year in terms of competitive machine and rider combinations.
According to Corser recent Magny-Cours experiences demonstrate the reality of the measurable progress the bike has made, but also the realities of competing in a series with seven fully committed factory teams. "My crew chief told me that my race distance time today would have been good enough to win the race last year! That surprises me, but it shows just how competitive the series is this year and the strength of our rivals.
Corser's crew chief was correct in his assertion and indeed, comparing 2008 and 2009 Magny-Cours race times, Corser beat the 2008 race winning times on each occasion. No better illustration can be given of how far the BMW project has come in such a short time.
Leon Haslam will not race with Stiggy Racing Honda after 2009 WSB season
Stiggy Racing Honda Press Release
Stiggy Racing Honda and Leon Haslam will part company at the conclusion of this year's World Superbike Championship after a very successful 2009.
After team owner Johan Stigefelt assembled a high quality team of engineers and Honda machinery the ability of Haslam complemented that with results beyond all expectation.
But it has been a tough debut year off the track in the World Superbike Championship for Stiggy Racing Honda and persistent financial issues led to the Stiggy operation being forced to end its relationship with financial backers S2 Racing.
As a result, Johan Stigefelt and Leon Haslam took the mutual decision to part company to pursue their own respective options for the future.
"After the S2 Racing financial issues and complications it was clear that we had to address the future alone," said Stigefelt. "Our plans involved Leon but we are not fully in a position to commit for 2010 at this stage therefore its better for Leon to pursue his career elsewhere."
Stigefelt continued: "Overall, with Leon, it has been a great year. We didn't know each other too well at the start but the experience has been thoroughly enjoyable and I hope we can work together again one day."
Haslam commented: "I think it's fair to say that we started the year as complete underdogs and outsiders but I knew we had the potential with Johan's team when I saw the guys he'd brought in for me.
"My crew and the rest of the guys have done an excellent job and the results confirm their ability as a team. I want to thank Stiggy for this opportunity, for believing in me and getting me back in the top level of racing again. I hope Stiggy manages to regroup quickly as the team is still young and clearly has huge potential."
For 2010, Stiggy Racing Honda will shortly announce its presence in the World Superbike paddock with the exact plans still to be finalised.
Five months after his life-threatening crash at Kyalami in South Africa, Regis Laconi was once again back on his regular Ducati mount albeit for a couple of demo laps around the Magny-Cours circuit. The blue and white DFX Corse Ducati 1098R, bearing Laconi's favorite number 55, completed three laps of the French circuit on Sunday, with his home crowd reserving him a standing ovation worthy of one of the true stars of motorbike racing.
As soon as Regis stepped off the bike, the multiple WSB race winner expressed his gratitude to the team and all those who went through the terrible experience with him in South Africa. The French rider, who looked to be in perfect shape and as fired up as always, is now faced with an even more uphill struggle, as he expressed a desire to test the bike again, but this time in front of the timing beams and not the general public.
Following the latest medical checks, Laconi may be allowed to return to the track as a full-time rider once again, in the tests scheduled for the Portimao circuit on Tuesday and Wednesday, October 27 and 28.
Due to winning the 2009 
Another Hayden has risen to global racing status. For the 2010 season, Roger Lee Hayden will join Pedercini Kawasaki in 
“I have experience on the 
After his dominating performance, the 2009 World Superbike Champion Ben Spies is a candidate for Speed TV’s Performance Award “Rookie of the Year”.
At the end of a World Superbike season in which he had a number of crashes and injuries that prevented him from expressing his and his Aprilia RSV4's potential, Japanese rider Shinya Nakano has decided to step down from racing. His decision was announced in a press conference held in Japan on October 28th. 
The Kawasaki World Superbike Racing Team has completed its 2010 season rider line-up by signing Tom Sykes to compete alongside Chris Vermeulen on the officially entered Ninja ZX-10R machines. 
The first day of 2010 season testing got underway in dry and warm conditions at Portimao, with many new faces and rider combos in view for World Superbike.
Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha World Superbike Team (1'42.7): “It was a good enough day apart from a stupid crash this morning after about 30 laps, there seemed to be something wrong with my rear tyre which caused me to high side. I hit my head and have had a few headaches today but ok apart from that. The testing has gone well, we’ve done quite reasonable times, all credit to the guys who’ve worked really hard. We haven’t changed much on the bike today, just tried to make it my bike a bit, tomorrow we’ll do some more and see how we go.”
James Toseland, Yamaha World Superbike Team(1'43.7): “I’m feeling really positive, it’s obviously my first time on the bike, it felt a bit alien after two years on a GP bike but the balance of the bike felt good and I’m really impressed with how the team’s working, I’ve got an old friend of mine as a chief engineer. I’ve been really impressed to work with him today and Silvano Galbusera (Yamaha World Superbike Team Technical Co-ordinator) looking over him with his experience has been great. What’s been nice is the changes we’ve been making have always been in a positive direction, so to say we’ve got down to more or less race pace on a brand new track and a brand new bike is good, I’m pretty pleased with it.” 
Ben Spies and Yamaha made history yesterday at 
American Ben Spies was crowned World Superbike Champion Sunday at the 
The final Superpole session of 2009 went the same way as ten others this season as Ben Spies made it 11 out of 14 for the Yamaha World Superbike team, an outright record for the series, at the 
If Ben Spies wins both races at the final round in Portugal Sunday, not only will the American take the championship title, but he'll also become a part of World Superbike history.
Following on the recent announcement that Chris Vermeulen will race a factory-backed Kawasaki in next season's World Superbike Championship, team owner Paul Bird has today announced that it will be Yorkshireman Tom Sykes who will partner the Australian aboard the works Ninja ZX-10Rs. 
In the wake of his signing with the Suzuki Alstare team for the 2010 WSB championship, Sylvain Guintoli is set to make an early debut in the series next week, when he lines up for the final round in Portugal on October 25th. The Frenchman will join Yukio Kagayama, who will take his place next year in the Crescent Suzuki team in the BSB, for the race.
Althea Racing Team is thrilled to announce that in the upcoming 2010 racing season the team will use the 2010 model Ducati 1098R. Due to the excellent relationship between Genesio Bevilacqua, the team's owner, and the Italian motorcycle company, the Althea team will be able to use highly competitive Ducati motorcycles together with an expert technical staff that matches Ducati's expectations. Massimo Tulli will handle all of the motorbike settings and technical co-ordination.
Frenchman Sylvain Guintoli and Briton Leon Haslam will join Suzuki Alstare for the 2010 World Superbike Championship season - the 25th anniversary of the Suzuki GSXR.
It was always going to be particularly tough for the all-new BMW Motorrad Motorsport Team to make the same impact as some other official teams in 2009 - but in many ways the entire WSB project has already been voted a real success.
Stiggy Racing Honda and Leon Haslam will part company at the conclusion of this year's World Superbike Championship after a very successful 2009.
Five months after his life-threatening crash at Kyalami in South Africa, Regis Laconi was once again back on his regular Ducati mount albeit for a couple of demo laps around the 
