World Superbikes' Ten Kate Honda set to grow in 2008

The Hannspree Ten Kate Honda squad are planning to be the biggest team in the World Superbike paddock by running a satellite Superbike and Supersport team alongside their existing four man set-up in 2008.  

Ten Kate Honda has grown from their humble World Supersport beginnings to one of the top teams in the paddock with five World Supersport titles to their credit and currently lead both the World Supersport and World Superbike championship standings in 2007.

Now they want to enhance their presence and generate young talent to join the official squad in the future and continue their winning ways.

Speaking to MCN, Team Boss Ronald Ten Kate revealed:  “We’re planning for things to be bigger in the WSB paddock next season with the possibility of an official satellite Supersport and Superbike team.

“We want to give young riders a chance within our squad. The important thing is that we do not sacrifice anything we are doing in the official team.”

Ten Kate Honda has an impressive history of seeing rider potential and developing it. In 2002 they placed a 19-year-old Chris Vermeulen in to their then satellite Supersport team Van Zon Honda.

After a learning year, Chris Vermeulen moved into the official team where he won the 2003 World Supersport Championship. The following year he moved onto World Superbike where he won a total of 10 races and finished second to Troy Corser in the 2005 championship standings.

Frenchman Sebastian Charpentier was plucked from the Klaffi Honda team in 2005 and has gone onto become double World Supersport champion and during the last two years they’ve nurtured young Turk Kenan Sofuoglu from inconsistency to runaway leader in this years World Supersport title fight.

Even James Toseland has had a helping hand from Ten Kate Honda. At the end of 2005, James Toseland was out of a job and facing a switch to American Superbikes to get a ride.

But Ten Kate Honda signed the Brit when others in World Superbikes wouldn’t and he is now one of the hottest properties in the world of racing today and leading the World Superbike standings.