WSB Snippets

- Vermeulen will be taking in the final BSB rounds on the Ten Kate
Honda.

- GSE want to go back to WSB next year. They're talking to Yamaha and MV
Agusta (now owned by Proton) Terms are that they must have the same
position at least as they had with Ducati. ie, if not the full factory
team then a favoured satellite team. If they can't get want they want
they'll go back to BSB.

- PSG Ducati (Chili's team) will be PSG Kawasaki next year. Chili not
happy.

- James Ellison's budget for the year is reputed to be £120,000. That
covers one bike and one spare engine. Major engine work consists of
titanium rods, aftermarket valves, close ratio box, custom grind cams
and Motec engine management (which everybody uses in BSB) all sourced in
the UK from Race Techniques. They hope to have a full Harris modified
rolling chassis shortly.

 

Is this a good idea? He's so close in points in WSB why risk injury?

I thought Chili owned the team and pulled the strings?

 

Maybe, maybe not. I assume this will be after the WSB series is wrapped
up but I haven't checked the dates. This could also be support for
Rutter if he's still in the chase in BSB. Don't forget Rutter's on a
full HRC Honda and Ten Kate could get some brownie points for helping.
Then Ten Kate and Chris just love racing. And BSB could be a good market
for Ten Kate to sell replicas.

It's bunch of Italians, who knows. Chili's put his own money into the
team but I'm not sure he "owns" it. There were rumours that they would
buy a Ten Kate bike or two and I think this is what Chili wanted.
Despite the Kawasaki's good showing in the UK, it's been well off the
pace in WSB. So for him it's more of an unknown quantity. And he can't
have many more seasons so this next one has to be a last shot at the
championship. Personally, I'd like him to quit at the end of this year.
I think he's getting error prone and I worry that he's really going to
hurt himself.