After testing at Assen last week Castrol Honda rider Ruben Xaus has decided that he’s not fit enough to race in this upcoming weekend’s World Superbike double-header at Nurburgring and will skip the round.

The Spaniard picked up a back injury during his crash in race 1 at Brno and is still suffering from the lingering effects of the injury. To replace the recovering Xaus, Castrol Honda has called on former MotoGP and WSBK rider
Makoto Tamada.

Tamada has been racing in Japan of late and this year took a third place podium at the Suzuka 8 Hours with the HARC-PRO Honda team. The Japanese rider’s last appearance on the World Superbike scene after two seasons (2008 and 2009) with Kawasaki, was as a replacement rider for Roland Resch in the now defunct Reitwagen BMW Team in 2010 at Portimao.

“It’s great to be back racing in the World Superbike series. I want to thank Castrol Honda for giving me this opportunity. I am looking forward to working with the team and Jonathan, and I’m also looking forward to meeting my European fans,” said Tamada.

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Despite being a former MotoGP and Superbike winner Makoto Tamada went off the racing radar almost all of last year.

In 2010 the Japanese rider had signed a deal with Pro Ride, a team that was great in press releases, but nothing else, having never taken part in a single race, thus leaving him jobless.

Tamada copped a ride as a replacement for injured Roland Resch at the WSBK Portimao round with Reitwagen BMW, another team who withdrew due to the usual funding problems and then took part in the 2010 Suzuka 8 Hours, where his Keihin Kohara Racing Team finished second in the legendary endurance race.

After the second place at Suzuka, Tamada will now be riding full time with the same team in the All Japan Superbike Championship taking the place of Shinichi Itoh, who after twenty years of racing has decided to retire.

Source | bikeracing.it

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Makoto Tamada literally disappeared from this year’s international racing scene after subbing for Roland Resch in the WSBK Portimao round for Reitwagen BMW Team andwhen his Italian ghost team Pro Ride, due to sponsor difficulties and funding didn’t show up for a single race this season.

The former MotoGP and Superbike winner has decided to return to racing in his native Japan and will take part in the Suzuka 8 Hours that starts July 25th. Tamada will be riding a Honda CBR 1000RR with Bridgestone tires for the Keihin Kohara Team and is teamed up with Shinichi Itoh.

Tamada and Itoh will be going against riders of the caliber of Jonathan Rea, who is getting his second opportunity to race at the iconic event, former MotoGP rider and Tech 3’s Moto2 Yuki Takahashi (for F.C.C. TSR) and former WSBK rider and now BSB rider Ryuichi Kiyonari (for HARC-PRO).

Source | bikeracing.it

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The Reitwagen BMW team will not be present at the Monza round of the World Superbike Championship. The Austrian team withdrew from the Assen round due to the lack of funds and will once again miss another round having failed solving their financial and sponsor problems. Andrew Pitt, however will be at Monza taking in the two races from the sidelines.

Pro Ride Honda and Makoto Tamada continue to be missing in action with no clear date when the team will debut or if they ever will. The Italian team despite having Speed of Japan in charge of their marketing and sponsorship sales as yet to find a major sponsor to back the team.

Squadra Corse Italia Honda sole rider Vittorio Iannuzzo will be racing at Monza. Iannuzzo picked up hand injuries after his crash with Simon Andrews during the Valencia round that kept him out of Assen, but the Italian has now returned to full fitness.

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Once again Pro Ride Racing Team will be missing the fourth round of the World Superbike Championship that is taking place at Assen.

The team has not shown up at the Dutch circuit, despite their website having a countdown clock that is now blocked at minus two days to race at Assen. The team who has Makoto Tamada as their contracted rider, has already missed out the last three rounds due to continuing problems in finding a main sponsor to fund their racing program and has yet to reveal if they will eventually take part in the 2010 season or miss it entirely as they did in 2009.

Tamada subbed for injured Roland Resch in Reitwagen BMW during the Portimao round, and Reitwagen BMW team also has been forced to pull out of the Assen round after failing to find sponsors who could continue funding the team.

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Not even the time to post the news that Makoto Tamada could be subbing for injured Roland Resch in BMW Reitwagen, that we have to update the news that both BMW Reitwagen and Pro Ride teams have confirmed that Tamada will be officially filling in for Resch at the Portimao round and will also help the Austrian team in testing the S1000RR.

Unsurprisingly, Pro Ride Racing Team has announced that will miss not only Portimao, but also the Valencia round due to sponsorship problems.

To read both press releases hit the jump:

Continue reading: WSBK : Confirmed, Makoto Tamada to Ride for BMW Reitwagen at Portimao

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Makoto Tamada is Pro Ride’s sole rider for this 2010 World Superbike season, but team skipped the first round at Phillip Island due to logistics problems, but now we have the latest rumor coming from Racesport.nl that the Japanese rider could be replacing the injured Austrian rider Roland Resch in BMW Reitwagen team for the Portimao round.

Tamada and his team did not take part in any of the official tests and we’ve haven’t heard if they did any private testing, so if this rumor should be true, it could mean that Pro Ride is once again facing serious economic problems and just like in 2009 after announcing that they would be competing in the championship with Gregorio Lavilla, had to pull out even before putting two wheels on any track.

Former World Supersport rider Barry Veneman who tested with the BMW Motorrad Motorsport at Valencia, was another rider who was named to replace Resch has decided to continue racing in the German IDM with the BMW Alpha Technik/Van Zon team and will wait till next year before making an eventual jump to the World Superbike series.

Source | duegommeslick

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Makoto Tamada after being replaced in Paul Bird Motorsport- Kawasaki by Tom Sykes and Chris Vermeulen has found a new ride for the WSBK 2010 season with Pro Ride World Superbike Team.

The Italian team, run by Marco Nicotari tried to take part in last year’s championship with Gregorio Lavilla, but didn’t even make the season opener after loosing two main sponsors due to the economic crisis.

This year Pro Ride has an important agreement with Tokyo based Speed of Japan who has years of experience in racing and manages riders competing in championships worldwide, and besides managing Tamada also manages Ryuichi Kiyonari and Yukio Kagayama (both who will be in British Superbikes this year) and under Achromatic Incorporated will help upgrade the team structure, image and logistics.

Tamada who will be in his third season of WSBK is on his way to Italy to sign with the team and the official announcement will be probably be released tomorrow.

Source | duegommeslick

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Fortunately for the three riders involved in this horrific pile up at turn two on the opening lap of Race 1 at Nurburgring, all came out with minor injuries.

John Hopkins was was hit from behind and high siding wiped out both Kawasaki riders, Makoto Tamada and Broc Parkes. Hopkins was then run over by Vittorio Iannuzzo of Squadra Corse Italia who could not avoid the Stiggy Honda rider laying on the track. Both Hopkins and Tamada were taken to the local hospital and treated for slight concussions.

John Hopkins:

“I ran a bit wide coming out of turn one and then got hit from behind in the second turn and high-sided into Broc Parkes. I was unconscious for 10 minutes before waking up in the ambulance. A bike ran over my chest, but apart from that I have no serious injuries. I just hope my luck will turn around soon.”

Tamada was released almost immediately and wanted to take part in Race 2, but the race track medical commission declared the Japanese rider unfit to ride.

Continue reading: Hopkins, Tamada, Parkes Crash at Nurburgring

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Kawasaki World Superbike Racing Team riders Broc Parkes and Makoto Tamada are preparing for the Nurburgring WSBK. Tamada has been recovering from injury, while Parkes entered the Brands Hatch British Superbike Championship for a little extra riding, scoring three podium finishes with his Ninja ZX-10R.

While both riders are familiar with the circuit, they will be hoping for better weather than last year and Parkes will be looking to build on the podium he previously won in the Supersport class.

On preparations, Broc Parkes says: “After racing at the British Superbike meeting at Brands Hatch in early August we found some really good things on the bike and came away with some great results, that gave me and the team some confidence in our direction for the last four WSB races. It will be great to apply the team’s development to the Nürburgring race this weekend. I really enjoy racing at this circuit and I’ve had some successful results in the past. I’ve also won a race a few years back on the short circuit for the German Superbike Championship. Overall, I’m really looking forward to some good results this weekend. I’m also over the moon at becoming a father this week to my newborn son, young Jesse John Parkes.”

Continue reading: Kawasaki world superbike team prepares for the Nurburgring

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Kawasaki’s World Superbike Team team has announced that Sheridan Morais will replace injured Makoto Tamada during the World Superbike Championship at Kyalami.

The team had originally announced Broc Parkes would be the sole rider, but have engaged Morais who won the 2008 South African Superbike Championship on a Kawasaki and has also competed in Superstock in 2006 and 2007.

Morais who is leading both the 1000cc Superbike and 600cc Supersport SA series said: “It came as a total surprise. I’ll need some time to adapt and there are only two short practice sessions each on Friday and Saturday plus Superpole and the morning warm-up on Sunday to get everything sorted - but I only have to get used to the bike while the others still need to learn the track. The bike’s definitely good and, although I’ve never met any of the team except Guttridge (Kawasaki European racing division chief) they’re all professionals and they know what they’re doing.”

Morais was due to wildcard in World Supersport this weekend, but his place on the Kawasaki ZX6R will be taken by current South African Superbike team-mate Robert Portman.

Source | motoring

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After having to axe Aryton Badovini due to the economic crisis and keeping only rider Matteo Baiocco, PSG1 has now announced that they will not take part in two overseas rounds, Kyalami in South Africa and in the USA at Miller Park.

Baiocco and his team will be present at the Monza round of WSBK championship.

The Italian rider finished 14th at Assen and obtained 2 points, the same as Makoto Tamada who rides for the official Kawasaki team.

Source | gpone

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