Ryuichi Kiyonari(23) & Noriyuki Haga(41) Brands Hatch 2008
As Moto GP appears to be heading into the doldrums, sporting it’s smallest grid of riders ever and with talk from the sports governing body, the FIM, of introducing cost cutting measures to ensure a future for the sport, it is reassuring to see that World Superbike appears to be bucking the trend, going from strength to strength.
In the latest World Superbike news the 2009 series will have at least 32 riders competing for the championship title, according to the entry list published by the FIM today. To rub salt into the Moto GP wound, following the withdrawal of the factory Kawasaki from that series, WSB welcomes two new manufacturers to it’s championship in the form of BMW and Aprilia.
The 32 strong field is expected to be further bolstered by wild card entries throughout the season, with speculation that among other’s, moto gp 250 champion Marco Simoncelli and even the man himself, Valentino Rossi may appear in WSB at some stage during the year.
While those rumours seem unlikely to materialise, it is not really important, as there is more talent on show in WSB than you can shake a stick at. A total of nineteen teams, racing seven different bikes will battle it out for the WSB title in a series that Rossi sees as ‘more fun than motogp’.
Interestingly, Kawasaki remain in the WSB series, but the big three from last years championship Ducati, Yamaha and Honda remain favourites for top honours again this year.
‘Nitro’ Noriyuki Haga replaces the retired 2008 world champion Troy Bayliss on the Ducati Xerox alongside team mate Michel Fabrizio, while their closest rivals in last years championship, Yamaha, introduce the rookie pairing of Tom Sykes and Ben Spies to WSB. Rookies they maybe but a lot is being expected from this partnership of potential champions.
Honda will have three riders, all capable of top honours in Ryuichi Kiyonari, Carlos Checa and Jonathan Rea. Newcomers BMW have the experience of Ruben Xaus and Troy Corser, while Aprilia have the explosive duo of Shinya Nakano and Max Biaggi.
Recent World Superbike news rumours a merger between the two World Championships of WSB and Moto GP, something that has so far been dismissed for the foreseeable future, but if the financial crisis continues to worsen, who knows what might happen in future years.
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