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Bimota to Wild Card in a World Superbike Race?

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Aside from one or two suspiciously similar motorcycles a year, we don’t often hear from the Italian brand of Bimota. Known for building exotic motorcycles that feature custom frames around production motors (now, what does that sound like?), Bimota used to sample the best engines from all the manufacturers, but lately the motorcycle company seems to favor almost exclusively another certain Italian company in Bologna.

There was also a point in time where Bimota raced its designs, helping the small firm earn a reputation not only for its aesthetic graces, but also for its technical prowess. Hoping to return to its roots with that latter element, Bimota was caught on the track in Spain recently. Testing at the Almeria track, Ruben Xaus (yes, that Ruben Xaus) has settled into his new job as Bimota’s Sporting Director quite nicely.

Xaus is helping the small Italian company improve upon its Bimota HB4 Moto2 bike and Bimota DB8 Superbike. With this testing, Bimota is teasing the possibility of the Ducati 1198-powered Bimota DB8 making a World Superbike wild card appearance for the 2012 season.

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Hopkins to Wild Card with Rizla Suzuki at Malaysia

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Rizla Suzuki has announced that John Hopkins will return to MotoGP action for another race, riding again as wild card entry, this time at Sepang. The Malaysian GP will be Hopper’s third stint in MotoGP this season, as the Anglo-American filled-in for the injured Álvaro Bautista at the Spanish GP in Jerez and was entered as a wild card for the Czech GP, where he unfortunately injured his wrist in a crash during Free Practice.

Currently leading the British Superbike Championship with the Samsung Crescent Racing team, Hopper will be looking to button-up the BSB Championship next weekend at Brands Hatch. Making a remarkable showing during his rookie year in BSB, this wild card ride with Rizla Suzuki is surely a reward for Hopkins’ determination this season, which has seen him make an appearance in World Superbike, on-top of his extracurricular MotoGP activities.

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MotoGP: Hopper Also to Wild Card at Brno for Rizla Suzuki

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John Hopkins is a busy man with his duties to Crescent Racing. Not only is the Anglo-American riding as a wild card at World Superbike’s next round at Silverstone, but the former-MotoGP racer will also ride Álvaro Bautista’s back-up Suzuki GSV-R at the Czech GP in three weeks’ time (the same course where Hopkins secured a second place finish in 2007, his best-ever results in MotoGP).

The outing will be Hopper’s second cameo appearance in the teal blue colors of Rizla Suzuki this year, as he filled-in for Bautista at the Spanish GP in Jerez, after the factory rider broke his femur at the Qatar GP. Hopkins is currently second in the British Superbike Championship, in a season that many are tipping as a trial-point for Hopper’s return back to MotoGP.

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John Hopkins to Wild Card at WSBK Silverstone Round

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Announcing its plans back in March to skip Donington Park for Britain’s other track, Samsung Crescent Suzuki has confirmed that the team, along with Anglo-American rider John Hopkins (and teammate Jon Kirkham), will be attending the upcoming World Superbike round at Silverstone as wild card team entry. While Kirkham will be making his WSBK debut, this will be Hopper’s first time on a World Superbike-spec machine since his 2009 campaign with Stiggy Honda.

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Gresini Says No to Marco Simoncelli in WSBK, for 2011

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In an effort to get out ahead of rumors suggesting Marco Simoncelli would be participating in World Superbike racing in 2011, his Gresini Honda MotoGP team has definitively stated that he will not be doing so. Though he appeared at the WSBK Monza round just this past weekend, Simoncelli will not be repeating his 2009 wild card performance at Imola or any other rounds this season. There, he placed third in the second race on an Aprilia, after not finishing the first race.

Simply put, there will be no extra racing for Simoncelli in a MotoGP field already marred by riders suffering health problems from extracurricular racing. However, Gresini Honda will be providing their star rider with a Honda CBR1000RR that he may test at his and the FIM’s discretion.

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Yoshimura Suzuki to Wild Card at Miller Motorsport Park & Enter Suzuka 8 Hour with Josh Waters

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Josh Waters will continue to race for Yoshimura Suzuki in 2011, wild carding at the Miller Motorsports Park World Superbike round, and also making an appearance at the Suzuka 8 Hour Endurance Race. “Josh showed he has the potential,” explained team owner Fujio Yoshimura, “I have told him we’d like him to ride again in America at Miller Motorsports Park. It’s a good start for the team and Josh and we will both get better.”

With Yoshimura indicating that Waters would be a member of the Yoshimura entry contesting the endurance race at the Suzuka circuit on July 31, that date would obviously rule out a wildcard WSBK entry at Silverstone, though the team is interested in entering Waters in other rounds later in the season.

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Hopkins to Wildcard in World Superbikes at Silverstone

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Despite newly announced title sponsor Samsung, British Superbike squad Crescent Racing will not enter John Hopkins as a wildcard entry for the Donington Park round of World Superbike racing as previously expected. Instead, both the American rider and his new teammate, reigning BST Champion Jon Kirkham, will be entered for the British WSBK round at Silverstone later in the season.

Originally, the team had announced that Hopkins would race at Donington, but with a rider new to the team testing today at Cartagena, it seems as though Crescent Suzuki has decided to wait to join the WSBK fray. They will continue their testing March 8th at Guadix, Spain in advance of the BSB opener at Brands Hatch on April 25th.

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WSBK: Talmacsi Out, Bryan Staring in at Team Pedercini?

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It appears as though World Superbike’s Team Pedercini may have promoted from within while waiting on a decision from Gabor Talmacsi for the 2011 season. Bryan Staring, former Australian Superbike champion, was to have been the team’s 2011 Superstock rider and teammate to Marco Bussolotti and Leandro Mercado.

Instead, he will be a wildcard entry for Phillip Island alongside Roberto Rolfo for the Superbike squad. Talmacsi tested for the team at the Kawasaki test in Sepang ten days ago but informed the team he would consider their contract for a few days before making up his mind.

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Yoshimura Suzuki in WSBK with Phillip Island Wild Card

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After dipping a toe into the waters at Monza last season, Yoshimura Suzuki will race a wild card entry at Phillip Island for the opening round of WSBK racing in 2011. Riding for the team is 2009 Australian Superbike Champion Josh Waters, who will get to compete in front of a home crowd. There is no word yet as to the team’s entrance in other rounds, despite attempts to do so last season, which saw a lack of funding keeping the team from their previously scheduled racing at Imola and Magny-Cours.

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Don’t Call It a Comeback – Miguel Duhamel Riding as an AMA Wild Card at Laguna Seca

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AMA superstar Miguel Duhamel will return to superbike racing for the first time since the 2009 Daytona 200, riding as a wild card at the Laguna Seca round of the AMA Pro Road Racing series held during the Red Bull Gran Prix weekend. The eight-time AMA Pro Road Racing Champion won virtually all his races on a Honda, but for Seca he’ll be riding with Moto Forza – NovaTac Racing Ducati.

Duhamel has the all-time win record in AMA Pro Road Racing, with 86 victories to his name. Five of those wins came from Laguna Seca, which makes Duhamel a potent rider at the course for the GP weekend, despite Moto Forza – NovaTac having a less than competitive package with their Ducati.

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Rumors

Troy Bayliss Eyes Return to World Superbike – Making a Wild Card Entry in Italy?

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Nearly two years after the Australian threw in the towel on motorcycle racing, Troy Bayliss has found a way to return to motorcycling headlines by his rumored intention to re-enter the World Superbike racing series. After recently testing for Ducati at Mugello (Bayliss is still on the Italian payroll as a test rider), Troy made it clear that he missed racing, and would like to return to the sport. While many sites are pegging a 2011 season for the Australian rider, we could see him as a wild card entry as early as Misano…if Bayliss goes through on his desires to race again.

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