Capannori Italy January 21st 2010 Pro Ride World Superbike officially announces that it will miss Round 2 at Portimão and Round 3 at Valencia of the 2010 FIM World Superbike Championship due to a serious delay within the negotiations with a major sponsor. Pro Ride has missed the opening round of the Championship at Phillip Island due to logistics problem. Since then, Pro Ride rider, Makoto Tamada has joined the team in Capannori, and has been preparing for Portimão. The machines and the structure of the team are 100% ready, however, this unexpected delay of a major sponsorship negotiation that was about to be concluded leaves no choice for the team to miss Portimão and Valencia. Pro Ride is being since last October consulted by Speed of Japan, who is in charge of marketing and sponsorship sales, and is searching for a solution to start the race at Assen. At the same time, one very good opportunity to keep our rider, Makoto Tamada, in action, has appeared to us. We, Makoto and his management together decided that it is a good opportunity to him to keep his pace, so we announce that Makoto Tamada will race the Portimão round of the Superbike World Championship with BMW Reitwagen Team. We thank Mr. Alfred Inzinger for this opportunity to have our rider on the track, while we wait to solve our sponsorship issues. This agreement is valid only for the race of Portimão, and the test after the race, on Monday, the 29th. Comments Makoto Tamada, Rider “Needless to say I am disappointed that we are going to miss Portimão and Valencia. I have been working with Marco at the workshop since the beginning of the month, and we are 100% ready to race. At the same time be back on the track is something good for all of us. I hope to do well in Portimão “ Ing. Marco Nicotari, Team owner and technical director, Pro Ride Honda World SBK “We at Pro Ride were expecting coming back to the races much sooner than the facts are showing now. Being ready to race is not enough if a major sponsor doesn’t come. It is a pity that a brand new and ready structure must stay at home because of the long timing a sponsorship project and contract need in order to become the funds necessary to move a structure as big as ours. Speed of Japan is not the only company working in this matter, but it’s the one with more possibilities. We have also people working on it in Italy right now and I hope to be racing in Assen. We have been doing many modifications and tests in our bikes and they are getting Makoto’s profile. We are really eager to put them on the track and see what all the work we are doing at home will give us in terms of performance. I don’t want to see a repetition of 2009 and we are a 100% aimed to avoid this. About Makoto’s participation at Portimão Race with BMW Reitwagen Team is something that all of us decided together and we think that it is better to keep him “warm”. We thank Mr. Alfred Inzinger for the opportunity he is giving to Makoto.” More, from a press release issued by Team Reitwagen BMW: Japanese rider Makoto Tamada will partner Andrew Pitt in the second round of the Superbike World Championship in Portimao on March 28th, as Roland Resch has been declared not fit enough to ride. Young Austrian rider Roland Resch severely crashed in the second qualifying practice at the first WSBK round in Phillip Island. He high-sided his BMW S1000RR superbike and suffered a double fracture of his right collarbone in the fall. He underwent surgery in Vienna three days after his crash and had a titanium plate inserted together with eight screws. Currently he is working on his rehabilitation and recovery at the Dungl Medical-Vital Resort in Gars am Kamp, near Vienna. Doctors there confirmed that it would not be possible for Roland to race in Portimao so, instead, Makoto Tamada will ride the second Team Reitwagen BMW S1000RR bike. Team Reitwagen BMW and Makoto Tamada’s Team Pro Ride Superbike made an agreement this week, for a single event contract, giving Makoto the opportunity to ride the Austrian BMW satellite team’s S1000RR superbike. Makoto’s schedule will take in the race in the Portimao round of the Superbike World Championship, a private test in Jerez (March 22nd and 23rd) and another test day at Portimao (March 29th) after the WSBK race. The contract will end on March 29th and Makoto will then go back to work with his Italian Pro Ride Superbike team. Makoto Tamada: “I am grateful to Team Reitwagen BMW for giving me this opportunity to race with them in Portimao. Although this will be my first time racing a BMW, I have seen what it can do and am confident that I can ride it at its full potential.” Andreas Werth (Motorsport Director): “We are happy to welcome Makoto in our team, even if it’s just for one event only and we are happy about the perfect cooperation with his team Pro Ride Superbike. Makoto is a fast racer and has proven that often, with wins in Word Superbike and MotoGP. With his wealth of Superbike and GP experience and capabilities, he is very worthy asset to our team and we are sure he will further help us develop and understand our bike during our private tests in Jerez. Makoto knows Jerez and Portimao very well. He is familiar with Pirelli tyres (from last season at Kawasaki) and the Superbike World Chmapionship. We are continuing our technical progress and he will help us with that. At our stage of development, every single test hour and every lap are very important to us. I think, if Makoto gains confidence in our bike during the test session, he will be very fast in the race.”