James Toseland at Tech 3 next year !
James Toseland, on his way to a second World Superbike coronation, will take charge of the Intercontinental Circus in 2008. Coveted by a large number of teams, the Briton has finally chosen Herve Poncharal’s team: cockadoodledoo !
If the arrival of the Englishman in the Queen category surprised no one in the paddocks, the choice of the French team, for the one who nicknamed himself "Giacomino", had the effect of a bomb !
Because although the leader of the Superbike world championship has never hidden his desire to come to MotoGP, he had also set his conditions: to win races very quickly and therefore to benefit from a very efficient motorcycle / tire package. In other words, the pilot Ten Kate asked Honda for a machine supported by the HRC and shod in Michelin !
However, after bitter discussions with the leaders of the winged brand, the 2004 Superbike world champion was only offered an official Honda handlebar … in WSBK !
A status to which the resident of the Isle of Man could not be resolved: has he not indeed proved his worth this season by holding the high level to drivers like Troy Bayliss, Troy Corser and especially Max Biaggi, who 43 points behind him on the eve of the Brands Hatch round ?
Thus, like his predecessor at Ten Kate, Chris Vermeulen who moved to Suzuki in 2006, the 26-year-old Englishman chose to leave Honda and move to Yamaha. A decision ultimately not so daring, because as n ° 52 reminded it some time ago: "with the switch to 800 cc, things have changed. The RRS is no longer above the rest, as it was before. Yamaha work well, Ducatis work well …".
And it is not the Italian brand that has won the favor of James, but indeed Yamaha! A decision that enchants the team manager of the French team Tech 3: "Securing the services of a rider like James is an asset for Tech 3 and the MotoGP championship, as well as a nice opening to northern Europe. It’s an exciting time for all of us and I’m sure James will fit in well with the team and write some beautiful pages in his story.", jubilated Herve Poncharal.
It is true that the president of IRTA – association of teams in MotoGP – can look to the future with serenity: Yamaha has assured him full support from the factory, in order to attract Toseland, implying – unfortunately? – ousting Dunlop as a tire manufacturer.
However, nothing is fixed on the side of the tuning fork manufacturer, since if we know that Lorenzo will have an M1 "Factory" like Rossi and therefore Toseland, we still do not know the identity of the fourth pilot. , nor the way in which Yamaha will manage its "official" riders and its satellite structure … It is likely to think that Lorenzo and Rossi will be the spearheads of the brand and that Toseland will team up with Colin Edwards who was recently in contact with Tech 3.
Despite everything, one can very well imagine that, tired of Michelin’s (counter-) performances, Yamaha made the Bridgestone bet with the Englishman and the Japanese Tech 3 rider Makoto Tamada, winner of two Grands Prix with Japanese tires. !
The chessboard should be set up as soon as the Continental Circus returns to Brno, and could ignore our second Frenchman in MotoGP: Drômois Sylvain Guintoli… Still, Toseland did not wish to make any comments, following his signature and asked the press to respect his wish: the Englishman – worthy successor to Sheene in GP? – stay focused on his Superbike season and do not intend to leave by the back door !
The double in the SBK category is his priority and it will be his "farewell gift" to a team he appreciates: "I would like to thank the team for their help and support. I spent two of my best years competing with Honda Ten Kate (…). I couldn’t have achieved so much without their help and expertise and I remain 100% invested in the title goal this year.", says J.T … Stay tuned !
Alexandre BARDIN – Photos DR
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