Two separate sources involved with Dunlop and with Yamaha have told Roadracingworld.com that Yamaha may enter Eric Bostrom in the 2006 AMA Superbike Championship, aboard a YZF-R1 LE. Both sources requested that they not be named, but have proven reliable in past dealings with Roadracingworld.com . The Yamaha source called Roadracingworld.com headquarters in Southern California Wednesday afternoon. Yamaha is apparently reconsidering its plan, leaked last week by another Yamaha insider, to field Bostrom in AMA Formula Xtreme and AMA Superstock in 2006, and to not participate in AMA Superbike. That plan also called for Jason DiSalvo to compete in AMA Superstock and AMA Formula Xtreme, and for Jamie Hacking to compete in AMA Superstock and AMA Supersport. A source involved with Dunlop sent Roadracingworld.com an e-mail in which he claimed that Yamaha has asked Dunlop what support it could expect for a 2006 Superbike program featuring Bostrom. Asked last week specifically whether or not Yamaha would reconsider its plan in light of Kawasaki’s recent announcement that it will return to AMA Superbike in 2006, Yamaha Factory Team Manager Tom Halverson told Roadracingworld.com that he thought that Yamaha was too far along to make any changes to its plan. At that time, Halverson declined to say exactly what Yamaha’s 2006 plan was. Reaction to Yamaha’s initial Superstock/FX/Supersport plan has been generally negative, with many fans demanding that AMA Pro Racing make rule changes or eliminate the Superstock class to force Yamaha to compete in the Superbike class. The consensus from fans–and from the AMA paddock–has been that Yamaha should field a factory Superbike team, racing other factory backed Superbike teams fielded by Ducati, Honda, Kawasaki and Suzuki. When asked his racing plans at the 2005 AMA season finale at Road Atlanta, Bostrom told one reporter that he would definitely be on a Superbike in 2006 while his manager told other reporters that Bostrom may only ride a surfboard next year. After 6-time AMA Superbike Champion Mat Mladin, Bostrom has won the most AMA Superbike races of any other active competitor over the last five seasons. Stay tuned.
Yamaha Now Considering Running Eric Bostrom In 2006 AMA Superbike Series
Yamaha Now Considering Running Eric Bostrom In 2006 AMA Superbike Series
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