|
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
|
|
