Former Superbike World Champion Neil Hodgson will race a Honda CBR1000RR in the 2009 AMA American Superbike Championship, but the bike will be built and maintained by the American Honda factory race team and will wear Corona Extra Racing bodywork. “I’m riding for Corona Honda Racing with all my guys from American Honda,” Hodgson told Roadracingworld.com Monday. “Ron Heben is the Team Manager, and it’s going to be run out of the American Honda workshop. I’m really excited about it.” Hodgson said he will continue developing the same CBR1000RR he rode at the AMA Pro Racing tire test in December at Daytona International Speedway. Hodgson was the fastest rider overall at that test. Shortly after that test, American Honda announced that it would not field a factory road race team in 2009 due to economic conditions but that it would continue to support its satellite teams, Corona Extra Racing and Erion Racing. American Honda then told Roadracingworld.com that it was working toward finding space for Hodgson on one of those teams, because Hodgson was already contracted to American Honda through the 2009 season. Erion Racing has contracted Chris Peris to race Daytona SportBike, is negotiating with reigning AMA Formula Xtreme Champion Jake Zemke and is focused on racing 600cc machines in 2009. Corona Racing primarily raced CBR1000RRs in 2008, when it got top-10 finishes in AMA Superbike with Matt Lynn and won AMA Superstock races with Jake Holden. Holden is contracted to Corona Racing through 2009. Hodgson, who acts as his own manager, said he wasn’t directly involved in the deal with Corona aside from stating his preferences to American Honda. “I stressed that I initially signed a contract to race Superbike with American Honda and I’ve always raced Superbike and if I have a choice my choice is race Superbike,” said Hodgson. “I also understood that if American Honda couldn’t agree to terms with somebody then I would rather race a 600 than not race.” At points over the last two months Hodgson’s name was mentioned in connection with a proposed new AMA Superbike team connected to former professional basketball player Earvin “Magic” Johnson, but Hodgson was never contacted directly by the team. “I know the Magic Johnson thing was a reality,” said Hodgson. “I know people talked about that happening. I know they were going around talking to different teams [and potential sponsors], but I don’t really know anything more than that. I know they opened some dialogue with American Honda, but I never knew what stage that got to, how close it came to being a reality.” Hodgson said he believed that Magic Johnson’s representatives were working with Honda to provide a team for him to race with, but the new team’s efforts were derailed when point man Joe Lopez was tragically killed in a crash during a race at Auto Club Speedway. Hodgson will resume testing his CBR1000RR Tuesday and Wednesday at Auto Club Speedway.