News

2011 WSBK teams: Castrol Honda

Friday, 18 February 2011 22:35 GMT
2011 WSBK teams: Castrol Honda
A legendary combination returns, as two names that resonate down the years have joined together again to create what they hope will be another successful force in the paddock. The previous Castrol Honda team won three World Championships in WSBK racing and now Castrol is back as title sponsor for the official Honda WSBK team in 2011, and their rider line-up could not be more exciting.


Jonathan Rea had an up and down season on his top-level Honda last year; the ups were many, the downs few but dramatic. Jonathan has now largely recovered from his Imola injuries and has been fast in testing. He will have different branding on his CBR1000RR this year, but he will also have the same talented and utterly committed band of technical staff from the Ten Kate squad to look after him and his machine. A proven winner, and certainly one of the riders the other top riders name without hesitation as a threat for the crown this time around.


The second rider in the Castrol Honda team is anything but a second rider. Ruben Xaus, an 11 times WSBK race winner, has scored a dream job for himself in 2011. If the Ten Kate team staff can get Ruben his confidence back to its previous race-winning levels, anything is possible from a rider who is entertainment to watch making laps on his own, never mind mixing it up in races.


The whole team will operate with the support of Honda Motor Europe, and be run by the dynamic family duo of Gerrit Ten Kate and Ronald Ten Kate. Gerrit is the business and technical power behind the team's passion for racing, Ronald the Team Manager and public face of the team at races and test sessions.


Already WSBK champions in 2007, Ten Kate will be all out to challenge again, so keep an eye on the white red and green flashes, all the way from Australia to Portugal.