Toseland shares sponsors with Melandri

Marco Melandri and Toni Elias will share the same sponsors as James Toseland’s World Superbike team for 2007.

The pair’s Gresini Honda MotoGP team signed a sponsorship deal with electronics firm Hannspree who will also sponsor the Brit.

The former Fortuna team will be branded in the colours of the Taiwanese TV manufacturer, marking a major shift away from tobacco sponsorship for a major GP team.

Though the Ten Kate WSB team and Gresini GP team are sharing financial backing, there are no closer links than that between the two.

Ironically, Toseland had to turn down a chance of a stand-in ride for injured Elias at the British GP last year on one of the Fortuna RCVs, because the brand directly clashed with the Winston backing of his Ten Kate team.