saw this on Soup, wondering if anyone has any insider knowledge?
http://www.superbikeplanet.com/2008/Dec/081201a.htm (http://www.superbikeplanet.com/2008/Dec/081201a.htm)
QuoteBoulder Motorsports made a big splash when they announced plans to go AMA Superbike racing on Ducati 1098s at selected events this year. After the DMG take-over stalled, their principle, Brian Sharp, said that Boulder would be racing in the World Superbike championship on Ducatis in '09 instead.
It is known that the slowing global economy drastically altered Boulder's '09 plans. There they are not alone.
The rumor at the Portugal WSBK round was that Boulder would be teaming up with the Guandalini Racing World Superbike team in 2009 and running one American rider. Guandalini Racing entered the very talented Czech rider Jakub Smrz in 2008. Smrz, who, although he sometimes looks like an extra in the prison boat scene in Papillon, is a big talent in World Superbike, a promising rider for the future. He will continue with the team for '09.
Riders such as Jake Zemke and Josh Hayes were mentioned in regards to the Boulder ride last Summer.
However, Guandalini Racing announced recently that former Superstock world champion and Ducati Xerox Junior Team rider Brenden Roberts will fill their second rider position for 2009. The announcement on Roberts made no mention of Boulder Motorsports.
Ducati sources could not confirm that Boulder Motorsports have an '09 Superbike ordered. E-mail messages sent to Boulder's Brian Sharp requesting comment on their '09 plans have not yet been returned.
ENDS
I was up there about a week and a half ago.
Sounds like they are definitely going racing next year.
Well that is good to know, I it must be hard to get sponsors right about now. So hopefully they have have everything lined out, I was looking forward to watching them.
The word that I got is that they will not be racing due to sponsorship issue's :'(
I think that racing as a whole is going to suffer like crazy.
Honda pulled out of F1 today. They have been racing F1 since the 1960's. They spent $217,000,000. last year in F1 and say that with the
down turn with the global economy that they cant afford to race????? Honda states that they are down 30% in sales in the US alone in November.
Thats a sorry loss to the sport. I have a feeling its coming to bike racing soon.
Update from Superbikeplanet.com:
Boulder Ducati's Brian Sharpe wrote this morning in an e-mail to 'Soup:
Due to the global financial crisis, we have been forced to take another path towards racing in WSBK next year. First let me remind you we are committed to carrying out our plan in some form as we announced at the Miller WSBK event. This plan, obviously is contingent upon the economic crisis becoming more stable and the recession situation ending.
As per your email, I can confirm that we have ordered and purchased 2009 equipment from Ducati and expect delivery sometime in early January 2009, which is a normal time frame for customer specification equipment from Ducati.
For the 2009 WSBK season, Boulder Motor Sports has become a technical sponsor for Team Guandalini Ducati. We are very excited to support the team with it's two riders Jakub Smrz and Brendon Roberts and truly believe 2009 will be a successful year. Boulder Motor Sports will be supporting Team Guandalini with our 2009 equipment that we have ordered from Ducati. Our strategy is to build on an already strong foundation in Team Guandalini and work towards our racing goal in 2010.
Complete story here:
http://www.superbikeplanet.com/2008/Dec/081201a.htm (http://www.superbikeplanet.com/2008/Dec/081201a.htm)
Vely, vely intelesting. I gotta say, I've been shocked since the announcement that this little shop from Colorado had the where-with-all to compete at the highest level of production based motorcycle racing. We'll see what the future holds.
Thanks for the update, probably couldn't pick a worse time to start racing in WSB. Props to BMS for still trying to work it in.