MCE British Superbike Championship meets the America’s Cup before set sailing to Thruxton this weekend
The MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship met Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series contenders SoftBank Team Japan in Portsmouth today (Thursday) when Yamaha riders John Hopkins and James Rispoli visited the base ahead of the next MCE BSB round at Thruxton this weekend (July 22/23/24).
SoftBank Team Japan are bidding to become the first Japanese team to win the America’s Cup and yesterday’s yachtsman Yugo Yoshida visited Thruxton for a high-speed pillion lap of the Hampshire circuit with American contender James Rispoli on the Yamaha YZF-R1. Yoshida is the first Japanese sailor in 15 years to join an America’s Cup team.
The experience was reversed (Thursday) when Rispoli and Hopkins joined the team for a jersey swap at the team camp, before the 25-year-old Superbike rookie met winning America’s Cup skipper and Team CEO Dean Barker for a once in a lifetime opportunity to jump onboard as a guest racer.
Japanese star Yoshida, who previously competed in the 2012 Olympics, said: “I really enjoyed the pillion ride – it was very different to anything I’ve ever been used to before and an amazing opportunity. It was incredibly fast and an awesome experience and, I have to admit, a little scary too! It really gave me an appreciation for the bravery and skill required to ride at those speeds – let alone race. The G-forces were a real eye-opener, and although I always felt safe, it was also very much on-the-edge. The only problem is, I think I might have caught the bug now…”
Rispoli said: “It was great to meet Yoshi at the circuit yesterday and have a blast around the track – it was awesome to see his reaction afterwards! I loved the boat experience today, it was amazing and something I have never experienced before. It was as intense as racing a Superbike and the choreography between the crew members onboard was crazy.
“The amount of force that pulls you from out of nowhere when we hit the wind and seeing the other teams so close, gave you a real idea of how it would be in the race and that was awesome. Big thanks to SoftBank Team Japan for the opportunity.”
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