Tunstall heads to World Supersport in 2006
Tom Tunstall is delighted to confirm that he will be racing in the World Supersport Championship in 2006 onboard the Hardinge - Ice Valley Motorsport Honda. Tom, aged 27, from Huddersfield enjoyed one of his best season of racing in the highly regarded British Supersport Championship in 2005. On the strength of his results along with his World Supersport wild card performances at Brands Hatch and Silverstone he has received increased backing from his sponsors Hardinge Bridgeport Machine Tools and Ice Valley Natural Mineral Water. This has enabled him to become a full time professional motorcycle racer, live his dream and race a full season in the world championship.
“It’s a dream come true to be a full time rider competing at this level in a world championship.” explained Tom. “I’ve ridden as a wild card in a number of World Supersport events and have achieved strong results and a lot of attention from the media. We’ve proved we can be competitive at the UK tracks so now I’m well up for the challenge and can’t wait to start racing on some of the best circuits in Europe and the rest of the world.”
The 13 round season gets underway in the Middle Eastern desert of Qatar on 23rd to 25th February before heading to round two at the spectacular Phillip Island circuit in Australia. The team, once again backed by sponsors Hardinge Bridgeport, the global machine tool company, and Ice Valley, the fastest growing mineral water brand in the UK, have only been able to complete a single day's testing on the new 2006 bike at Cartegena in Spain due to poor weather, but are optimistic about their forthcoming season.
“It would have been nice to have got more time on the bike before we had to ship it to Qatar, but the combination of bad weather and an early start to the season meant we couldn't test as much as we'd have liked. I’ve ridden a CBR600RR for the past two years, so at least I know what to expect from the bike and with help from the Ten Kate Racing engine developers I’m confident we can be competitive.” explained Tom.
Tom and the Hardinge - Ice Valley Motorsport Honda team are set to receive additional support from the title winning Ten Kate Honda engine tuners after building a strong relationship over the past two years. Ten Kate produce arguably the best Supersport bikes in the world and have won the last four World Supersport titles and Tom will be able to benefit from their knowledge of engine development and bike set-up throughout the course of the season.
Tom will be the only British entrant in the World Supersport Championship in 2006, which will guarantee him prime coverage on British Eurosport television in addition to national and regional press. The World Supersport Championship runs alongside the prestigious World Superbike Championship, which received over two billion television viewers and a million spectators in 2005.
2006 Calendar
February 25 Qatar Doha
March 5 Australia Phillip Island
April 23 Spain Valencia
May 7 Italy Monza
May 28 Great-Britain Silverstone
June 25 San Marino Misano
July/ 23 Czech Rep, Brno
August 6 Great-Britain Brands Hatch
September 3 Netherlands Assen
September 10 Germany Lausitz
October 1 Italy Imola
October 8 France Magny-Cours
October 22 South Africa/ Tba
“It’s a dream come true to be a full time rider competing at this level in a world championship.” explained Tom. “I’ve ridden as a wild card in a number of World Supersport events and have achieved strong results and a lot of attention from the media. We’ve proved we can be competitive at the UK tracks so now I’m well up for the challenge and can’t wait to start racing on some of the best circuits in Europe and the rest of the world.”
The 13 round season gets underway in the Middle Eastern desert of Qatar on 23rd to 25th February before heading to round two at the spectacular Phillip Island circuit in Australia. The team, once again backed by sponsors Hardinge Bridgeport, the global machine tool company, and Ice Valley, the fastest growing mineral water brand in the UK, have only been able to complete a single day's testing on the new 2006 bike at Cartegena in Spain due to poor weather, but are optimistic about their forthcoming season.
“It would have been nice to have got more time on the bike before we had to ship it to Qatar, but the combination of bad weather and an early start to the season meant we couldn't test as much as we'd have liked. I’ve ridden a CBR600RR for the past two years, so at least I know what to expect from the bike and with help from the Ten Kate Racing engine developers I’m confident we can be competitive.” explained Tom.
Tom and the Hardinge - Ice Valley Motorsport Honda team are set to receive additional support from the title winning Ten Kate Honda engine tuners after building a strong relationship over the past two years. Ten Kate produce arguably the best Supersport bikes in the world and have won the last four World Supersport titles and Tom will be able to benefit from their knowledge of engine development and bike set-up throughout the course of the season.
Tom will be the only British entrant in the World Supersport Championship in 2006, which will guarantee him prime coverage on British Eurosport television in addition to national and regional press. The World Supersport Championship runs alongside the prestigious World Superbike Championship, which received over two billion television viewers and a million spectators in 2005.
2006 Calendar
February 25 Qatar Doha
March 5 Australia Phillip Island
April 23 Spain Valencia
May 7 Italy Monza
May 28 Great-Britain Silverstone
June 25 San Marino Misano
July/ 23 Czech Rep, Brno
August 6 Great-Britain Brands Hatch
September 3 Netherlands Assen
September 10 Germany Lausitz
October 1 Italy Imola
October 8 France Magny-Cours
October 22 South Africa/ Tba
posted by The Team at 1:14 AM
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