It would appear that just being first with the news is all that matters to other publications out there, so we’re going for the ‘you read it here first, folks!’ approach. If in the fullness of time, all of this gossip we’ve picked up in the paddock turns out to be utter bollocks, we’ll delete this post and replace it with a few pictures of booby ladies and wheelies…
JG Speedfit are looking good to receive the lion’s share of Kawasaki factory backing that Paul Bird Motorsport have had in the past. Where that leaves PBM, who knows?
It looks like we could see a new Ducati team on the grid for 2016. Factory supported and possibly run by Paul Bird Motorsport. Whether that means we’ll see Shakey Shane Byrne going with long time friend and team boss Bird remains to be seen. Bird and Byrne have a great relationship with each other, and also with Ducati. Remember that sweet WSB wildcard double on the Monstermob Ducati back in 2003? If you don’t, watch this (terrible and sound free) footage from race one.
We asked Shakey what he thought of the situation for 2016. Here’s what he had to say. “It would seem nobody knows what’s going on with BSB at the minute. Shit is so up in the air it’s almost laughable. Paul and I are in a good place reference next season, with plenty of options. He’s very good at his job which helps me be real good at mine and I’ll be with him all the way, wherever we end up. I’m also lucky that personally I have other options for 2016. Until Paul and I figure our thing out so we know where we’re at, I’ll just keep my head down and try as hard as I can to win Paul and I another title, then I can start thinking about next year.”
Milwaukee backed Shaun Muir Racing don’t appear to be happy with the fact that Paul Denning and Crescent have picked up the job of running Yamaha’s WSB team in 2016. World Superstock success aside, the development of the R1 as a race bike seems to have been driven by SMR and Josh Brookes in particular. It seemed logical to assume that Brookes would benefit from the wins he’s given in BSB and be rewarded with a WSB seat. It also seems logical that SMR and Milwaukee would get the chance to run the team as they have all the experience gained in BSB. If the Crescent choice was one that was made by Yamaha Europe, rather than Yamaha UK, it would be a reasonable assumption that Michael Dunlop’s last minute exit from the Milwaukee backed TT effort this summer didn’t help a single bit. SMR have advertised their race truck and hospitality unit for sale on Twitter, that could be as simple as them rotating their stock for new kit, it could be SMR publicly flicking the bird at Yamaha. Again, time will tell. Yesterday we asked Josh Brookes for his opinion on the WSB Yamaha news, here’s what he had to say.
“I’ve had set backs and been let down many times in my career, this is just another chapter. I’ve known of this deal for 6-8 weeks so it’s old news to me. Not going to affect me, just business. I’ve changed bikes and teams many times before and probably many times more in the future. My focus is still to finish what I started and get the championship won.”
Today we called team manager at Milwaukee Yamaha, Mick Shanley, and asked him what he thought of the decision to pair Crescent and Yamaha as a World Superbike team? “As Josh said, we’ve known of this decision for quite a while, but it still feels like a kick in the balls each time we see it in print. We’re still considering our options for 2016 and beyond, but our primary focus is on finishing the job we started, which is winning the British Championship with Josh and Yamaha.”
Some clear facts in there and no doubt some hearsay. Time will tell what happens next, expect some more motorcycle news after the Silverstone round in a couple of weeks time. Buy your BSB tickets here and join the party…
Words: Johnatsuperbike Image: Twitter/Archive