From a press release issued by MonsterMob Ducati:

British Superbike Championship – Round 1 – Silverstone, Northants – 27/28 March

MONSTERMOB DUCATI READY FOR ACTION

Defending double British Superbike Champions MonsterMob Ducati go into this weekend’s opening round of BSB2004 brim full of confidence as their bid for a third successive title gets underway at Silverstone on Sunday.

After the late Steve Hislop’s title success in 2002 followed by Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne lifting the crown again last season before moving onto Moto GP, the Paul Bird Motorsport squad are pinning their hopes on the experienced Sean Emmett in the Superbike class aboard the factory supported Ducati 999 F04.

The 34 year old Londoner has endured a torrid time over the past few seasons and views his chances with Britain’s most successful team in recent years as his best bet for landing the elusive title:

“I’m very confident, especially after the test at Silverstone last week when I was fastest, but I know come race day it will be a different matter. It’s important we leave Silverstone with a good points haul as the next two tracks we go to are two of my favourites but I just can’t wait to get going. A double would be fantastic to get the season rolling but we’ll have to wait and see” declared the former 500cc GP rider.

Another new face joins Emmett in the Penrith-based team in the shape of young Ulsterman Michael Laverty who will be hoping to win back the Supersport title that the team relinquished last season.

The 22 year old County Antrim rider will have the latest works 749cc Ducati at his disposal and starts as one of the favourites going into round one:

“It’s going to be tough but I know I have the best package out there” said Laverty. “We’ve not had as much testing as I’d have liked but I feel very comfortable on the bike and I’m confident we can find a good race set up in order to be on the pace come Sunday.”

Team owner Paul Bird too is looking forward to the season ahead as he bids for an unprecedented third title. The Penrith businessman, who has spent much of the winter behind the wheel of his Ford Focus World Rally Car whereby he has rapidly climbed the UK driver’s rankings, is also quietly confident:

“We know that we are the team to beat and that everyone has upped their game this year to try to do just that but we remain confident with the package we have in place. Both riders have points to prove and with the best machinery from Ducati at our disposal, I see no reason why we can’t keep winning. My team of Phil Borley, Stuart Bland and Jonathan Clucas have been working round the clock to get everything ready and I’d like to pay tribute to them all for their efforts and hope the riders can repay them for all their hard work this weekend.”

BSB 2004 Dates

Mar 28: Silverstone, Northamptonshire.
Apr 12: Brands Hatch Indy, Kent.
Apr 25: Snetterton, Norfolk.
May 3: Oulton Park, Cheshire.
May 23: Mondello Park, Ireland.
Jun 6: Thruxton, Hampshire.
Jun 20: Brands Hatch, Kent.
Jul 4: Knockhill, Fife, Scotland.
Jul 18: Mallory Park, Leicestershire.
Aug 15: Croft, North Yorkshire
Aug 30: Cadwell Park, Lincolnshire.
Sep 12: Oulton Park, Cheshire.
Sep 19: Donington Park, Leicestershire

Editorial Note: MonsterMob Ducati also announced new sponsorship deals with “Europe’s largest retail finance partner Cetelem” and “French helmet manufacturer Shark” in separate press releases.


More, from a press release issued by Hawk Kawasaki:

HAWK KAWASAKI PREPARE FOR ZX-10Rs RACE DEBUT

Hawk Kawasaki will race its brand new ZX-10R superbikes for the first time this weekend at the opening round of the British Superbike Championship, at Silverstone, Northamptonshire.

This year’s 13-round series kicks off on the fast and flowing 2.252 mile International circuit where Hawk Kawasaki rider Glen Richards took two third places in last year’s event. Despite an encouraging first test at the track last week the Hawk team is expecting a tough weekend.

“The first thing that’s uppermost in my mind is that I’d like to see both riders finish both races in the top 10,” explains Hawk Team Principal Stuart Hicken. “I will be happy if they do that because the ZX-10 is a totally unraced motorcycle, as a superbike, and it’s only 65 per cent ready as a complete package because we don’t have the race ignition or race pistons in the bike yet, although we do have special Arrow titanium conrods that are made specifically for the ZX-10R in the motor already. We’ve done a lot of work on the bike but we’re still a long way from having a completed motorcycle, so if we finish both races with both riders we’ll have learnt a huge amount about the bike. That’s what we’re aiming to do – learn about the bike and allow the riders to learn how to ride the bike.”

Hawk Kawasaki rider Scott Smart, who has been heavily involved in the development of the team’s 10Rs, has been impressed by the bike in testing, but is aware of how crucial both practice and qualifying will be for the team: “At the moment we just need to get as many laps under our belts as possible. It’s always tough with a new bike because there’s no data to compare against, so you have to learn everything from scratch. The test we had at Silverstone went well for us and the bike felt good, but that was just testing. Racing these things is completely different. We’ve found that the bike works well on fresh tyres, but at the moment it’s not so good when the rear tyre starts to wear – that’s one area we’ve really got to work on this weekend. I’m a little nervous but I’m also excited to be racing again.”

His team mate, Richards, is also keen to get the season underway, but is aware of how critical Friday and Saturday will be for the team: “We’re lucky that the basic package feels so good so soon, but there’s a load of work for us to get stuck into as soon as we get to the track. I’m going to be working hard to get the chassis, and particularly the front end of the bike, feeling the best I can because at the moment we’re still a little down on power compared to the others. I like the track though and if I can get the bike working how I want I’ll be happy.”

Practice for the opening round starts on Friday 26, qualifying is to be run on Saturday 27 and race day is on Sunday 28.