PTR HONDA is proud to announce its strongest ever line-up in the World Supersport Championship for 2012. Performance Technical Racing (PTR) is the organisation behind the highly successful Parkalgar Honda team that won 12 races and scored 29 podiums between 2008-2011, finishing runner-up in the Championship in 2009 and 2010. There are five riders in the team and they will operate under three different team names: Bogdanka PTR Honda will run with the UK’s super-fast Sam Lowes and South Africa’s promising young star Mathew Scholtz. In addition, Polish rider Pawel Szkopek – on a PTR supplied bike – will compete for Bogdanka Honda PTR, giving the Polish coal giant three bikes on the 2012 grid. PTR Honda will feature hot American talent Patrick ‘PJ’ Jacobsen and the experienced South African Ronan Quarmby. Riders PTR Honda will compete with former British Superbike star Martin Jessopp from the UK. PTR Team Manager Simon Buckmaster: “PTR goes into 2012 with its strongest ever line-up of riders with all of them capable of top 10 finishes in the World Supersport Championship, there is no weak point. After missing out on the World Championship in 2009 and 2010, this is our best chance to win the title with one of our riders. “We are delighted to continue our association with Bogdanka after a promising 2011 when it scored two podium finishes. Sam Lowes and Mathew Scholtz will make a young but formidable pairing in our garage. In addition Pawel Szkopek will remain on a PTR race bike and he should be a regular points scorer. “Ronan Quarmby and PJ on the PTR Honda team will create an exciting combination. Ronan has youth, experience and speed on his side while PJ is new to the series but comes with high expectations. “Riders PTR Honda will be represented by BSB and Macau star Martin Jessopp. He’s got the speed and talent to make an impact on the World Supersport Championship. “All our riders will receive exactly the same machinery and support. PTR operates an open-book policy where all riders share and learn from information, data and technical assistance. It means all have the same opportunity to perform on one of the best World Supersport race bikes in the world.” The new look PTR approach to the World Supersport Championship comes after Parkalgar withdrew its title support for the team due to financial pressures in the current economic climate. PTR remains close friends with the Parkalgar circuit. Buckmaster said: “It is a real shame that Parkalgar has been forced to step back from a full season of racing in 2012. The international economic climate is very tough but we will remain friends with the circuit and I do hope we can work together in some capacity again in the future. On behalf of PTR I’d like to thank Parkalgar for its support for the past four years – they have been a big part of the World Supersport Championship and will be missed.” The three PTR teams will be at Almeria in Spain on 19th-20th January for a pre-season test before travelling to Phillip Island in Australia for a further test ahead of the opening round of the Championship at the same circuit on February 26th. For more information on the team visit www.performancetechnicalracing.co.uk. More, from another press release issued by PTR Honda: Simon Says in association with CIA Insurance – the number one choice for motorcycle insurance CHRISTMAS is over so it’s time to get things ready for the start of the season. Sorry I have not written a column lately but the team and PTR have been going through a lot of changes and I have been working hard on these so there was no time to keep you all updated. It is all coming together now so I am coming out of hibernation to tell you about the new structure for the PTR team. I would like to start by thanking our title sponsor Parkalgar for all their support over the four years we worked together and hope the financial situation can improve for them so they can keep the great Portimao track alive and hopefully race with us again in the future. I would like to thank all the media for their support with our previous article explaining the hard truth about the current financial situation we are all in. This has worked well for all of us and I am happy to say we have been able to work with young riders for the good of PTR, the riders and the sport as a whole. This has been a source of great satisfaction for us looking at our exciting rider line up as we prepare for our first test. We have retained Sam Lowes after his impressive first season with us at World Championship level and after losing out on a top three in the championship after crashing out of the last round at Portimao. Both Sam and I are sure he will challenge for the title in 2012 after his learning year. All the boys in the team and Sam have all worked hard to be better in 2012, I am as always proud of the team effort and know that we are going into the season as well prepared as we can be. This will apply to all our riders equally and this will be the best year yet in 2012. We have four new signings that are exciting the whole team and put PTR in a position where for the first time it will not be relying on one rider in the team to deliver the results. The first new rider to agree terms with us was 18 year old American sensation PJ Jacobsen. He has already been to Europe as a Red Bull rookie so knows his way in Europe. Next we welcomed Martin Jessopp and Riders of Bridgwater to the PTR fold. Martin is still only 26 and comes to us after finishing runner up in the Macau Grand Prix – and after injury showing impressive form in BSB. I have known his father Phil for many years having ridden for him in the early 90’s when Riders were sponsors of the Phase One endurance team and am confident Martin will show in the top 10 from the start and just get better as the season goes on. We then agreed terms and signed 19 year old South African Mathew Scholtz. He comes from the Spanish CEV championship last year and is another young rider who will show near the front in WSS I am sure. Ronan Quarmby has now completed our rider line up. We first spoke with Ronan in 2010 at Kyalami where he showed potential as a wild card. We have kept in touch and I am happy we have been able to put a deal together. Ronan had top 10 results on the less competitive Triumph in 2011 and on our Honda I expect him to show his real potential. As you see the emphasis here is really on young riders and after the team’s tremendous success with Eugene Laverty and Sam Lowes I know we are all champing at the bit to get started and hopefully guide more young talent to go on and progress through the ladder of the sport. Who knows, we as a team may even step us a class in the future and grow with them. I am happy to say we have retained our association with Bogdanka and as such we are also supporting the satellite team Bogdanka Honda PTR with Pawel Szkopek riding. This will be Pawel’s second season on a PTR Honda and with an all-Polish team around him we wish him all the best for many point scoring riders this season. Like I said this is set to be the most exciting year yet in the team history as we go into our fifth year of operation. We start with a two-day test at Almeria in Spain on the 19th and 20th of January before preparing the bikes in full 2012 spec for the Phillip Island test ahead of Round One at the end of February. I hope to see you all at events during the year and hope you are all looking forward to this as much as we are. Cheers Simon