Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Garret ten Kate, “In two or three years Superbike will be stronger than ever”


By Dennis Noyes

Magny Cours, France — Garret ten Kate, owner of the Supersport World Champion Ten Kate Honda team that took Fabien Foret to the title in 2002 and repeated the win this year with Australian Chris Vermeulen, announced this weekend that they will field a two-rider World Superbike team in 2004 with Vermeulen and a second rider on Ten Kate CBR1000RRs. In Supersport the team will run Broc Parkes and, almost certainly, Karl Muggeridge once the final details of his contract are worked out.

“For my other rider in SBK along with Chris I am looking at a several riders, mostly from Great Britain and Spain because those countries have the best national championships in Europe for big four strokes. The British run Superbikes and the Spanish run a kind of class called Formula Extreme that is closer to Superstock but with slicks and lots of freedom to modify suspension, so these riders have the kind of experience that is needed to ride the new bike,” said the Dutchman.

Asked if his team would have Honda backing, he replied, “No. We will have Honda’s encouragement and they will supply us with standard machines, but we will modify and prepare them under SBK rules. The new Honda CBR600RR is a wonderful motorcycle and with our preparation has now a slight edge over the others. The new Fire Blade, from all that I have been able to see and learn, will be as good a Superbike as the CBR600RR is in Supersport, but it may take half a season to reach its potential. That is one of the reasons we are not trying to sign a big winner like Ruben Xaus. Ruben is very, very good and capable of winning at any level, even at MotoGP I think, but if we finish seventh of fifth with Ruben he would be disappointed and everyone would say the bike was crap since Ruben wins on the Ducati. We need a year before we would look at signing a rider like Ruben.”

Ten Kate went on to give his opinion of the new rules including the one-brand tire rule. “The new Superbike rules are a positive step for a team like mine. With a bike like the CBR1000RR or the new Yamaha, a good tuner can easily reach 200 horsepower and this means that the rider and the team and the suspension become more important and the direct involvement of the factory becomes less. Ducati will be strong, especially at first, but we should be seeing many different winners. Yamaha will be back in 2005 for sure. Kawasaki, too. Right now the factories are spending too much money in MotoGP and, except for Honda, Yamaha and Ducati, they are getting nothing for their money and they are forgetting that their business is selling their sports production bikes. If Maurizio and Paolo Flammini do not make some new changes in rules, the factories will all come back. I think in two or three years the World Superbike Championship will be stronger than ever and the big national championships will also be very strong also and supply riders to World Superbike. The one-brand tire rule is not what I would want, but I understand it. It is all Michelin’s fault. They want to supply only one team, the best team, and they say screw the rest of you. Dunlop and Pirelli worked hard in Supersport each backing several teams and offering service and product to all teams. Pirelli were trying to do this in SBK too, like Dunlop, but Michelin said we can do whatever we like. Then they found out that they do not own the championship. Flammini’s decision to contract Pirelli was bad for my team because Pirelli was my sponsor, but it is not good that a tire company can choose just one team and have so much influence about who wins. Pirelli will have to work hard, but they have the capacity as I have seen in Supersport. I think what will happen is that in 2006 when the Pirelli contract runs out the championship will open again to tire companies like Pirelli and Dunlop and maybe Bridgestone that understand that they must back several teams and sell to everyone.”



More, from a press release issued by FGSports:

TEN KATE HONDA TO CHASE 2004 WORLD SUPERBIKE TITLE WITH NEW FIREBLADE

The Ten Kate Honda team will compete in the 2004 World Superbike Championship with the new Honda Fireblade machine and newly-crowned World Supersport champion Chris Vermeulen.

Team owner Gerrit ten Kate said: “This is great news for our team, the championship, Chris Vermeulen and hopefully, when we achieve the success we desire, for Honda and its exciting new Fireblade machine.”

He continued: “After winning the World Supersport Championship for the past two years it’s great that we have a new target for 2004. The new Fireblade machine is made for racing, with its cassette-style gearbox, electronic steering damper and generic looks from the RC211V.

“We know Honda is happy this year with the CBR600RR taking the rider and manufacturer titles in World Supersport. We want to try and give Honda the same success now in World Superbike and, obviously, once again in the World Supersport Championship.”

Ten Kate concluded: “The new World Superbike technical rules are a positive step for a team like mine, offering great, new opportunities, just as Supersport offers. This is the beginning of a new era of Superbike racing.”

Vermeulen, 21, will contest the 13-round championship aboard the new four-cylinder, 1000cc machine as the talented Australian’s career rise continues.

“It’s fantastic to get the chance to move into World Superbike,” said Vermeulen. “It’s always been my dream to be able to move from World Supersport to World Superbike but to do it as champion is a special feeling.”

Vermeulen continued: “We know it’s going to be hard work getting a new machine dialled into ‘new’ circuits every weekend but I’m very confident that the Ten Kate team will be able to achieve that.”