British Supersport: Steve Brogan gets first factory ride with HM Plant Honda

At the age of 27 most riders will be thinking they have missed their chance to get their first factory ride, but not HM Plant Honda’s Steve Brogan.

The Liverpudlian has been signed up to ride in the British Supersport and British Superstock championships with the factory Honda team for 2008 and can’t wait to find out what it’s like to have a team backing you in the garage rather than working out of the back of a van.

Brogan finished the 2007 British Superstock season as runner up, which was the second time of doing so, but he is determined to make it third time lucky and repay the HM Plant Honda team for their confidence in him.

“I can’t wait to get started. We’ve got the new Fireblade this year and after racing last year’s one to second and winning two rounds I’m pretty confident I can take the championship,” said an excited Brogan.

“It will be third time luck but I feel the new Blade is good enough.”

Brogan has a good pedigree behind him and even finished as runner up to a certain James Toseland in the Junior Road Race championship in 1995 before they both raced in the Superteen championship. He went on to win the Superteen title in 1997 before going on to be the 1999 National 600 champion.

Brogan added: “Seeing what James has done since we both left Superteen he’s an inspiration to what you can achieve.

“I haven’t had the same breaks but what chances I have had I have grabbed with both hands and I haven’t given up. It’s taken me 12 years to get here and now I haven’t got one ride, I’ve got two!”

Brogan, who married long-time partner Claire over the winter, has been working hard to improve his fitness and lose weight in order to be competitive. And he already believes being lighter and fitter will tell in his results on the track.

“I’ve been training really hard to drop my weight and I’ve now done some fast times in testing. I know I’m not going to get too tired doing the two races as I did the last two meetings last year racing in both Superstock and Supersport.

“I’m fitter and lighter than lat year and ‘m hoping the races will be even better.”