2004

Year: 2004

Month: ALL

Wet weather WSB test

15 December 2004

Wet Spanish weather has hampered an unoffical two-day test for World superbike and Supersport teams at Valencia. Over the two days (December 13-14), intermittent rain and cold temperatures saw...

MV makes WSB plans

15 December 2004

MV Agusta has given the strongest hint yet that it will race in the World Superbike championship. The company plans to race the F4 1000 in the German Superbike championship and the European...

Neil Hodgson completed his two-day test at Jerez on Friday December 17. He was riding a Ducati Corse development bike, and was “dead happy” to be back on the 999. Hodgson admitted that at first the...

Hodgson to use Dunlops

08 December 2004

Neil Hodgson’s new team, Parts Unlimited Ducati Austin, has decided to ditch the Michelin tyres it ran with in the American superbike series in 2004 and move to using Dunlops for the next two years. ...

WSB tests announced

01 December 2004

The third week of February will be your first chance to see the 2005 World Superbike machines line up side by side. The dates for the official World Superbike tests have been announced and the first...

Help Toseland win award

24 November 2004

Newly-crowned World Superbike champion James Toseland is one of three finalists in the Yorkshire Sports Personality of the year, and the winner will be decided by a public phone vote. Toseland is up...

Macau GP first practice

17 November 2004

John McGuinness has gone fastest in the opening practice session for the Macau Grand prix which takes place on Saturday, November 20, riding the MonsterMob Ducati 999. Austrian Thomas Hinterreiter...

Corser back on top

17 November 2004

After a season hiding in the middle of the pack on the Foggy FP-1, Troy Corser is back on top taking the best time at a packed Pirelli test in Valencia. Corser, who is now riding for Alstare Suzuki,...

Pitt debuts R1 Superbike

17 November 2004

Andrew Pitt has debuted the 2005 Yamaha R1 World Superbike machine in testing at the Valencia circuit in Spain. The three-day test began yesterday with the 28-year-old former Supersport champion...

Hodgson to race in US

03 November 2004

Neil Hodgson has been switched from MotoGP to the US Superbike championship by Ducati, while WSB champion and newly-crowned MCN Man of the Year James Toseland has been confirmed as a Ducati factory...

Bid for Foggy's trophy

13 October 2004

James Toseland could have saved himself a lot of bother – you don’t need to beat the best in the world week after week to land a WSB champion’s trophy – one of Carl Fogarty’s is up for grabs in an...

Walker to Kawasaki

13 October 2004

Chris Walker has turned down an improved offer from Foggy Petronas and will race instead for the Kawasaki PSG-1 team in next season’s WSB championship. The Nottingham rider was the first to secure a...

2005 WSB confirmed riders

13 October 2004

Confirmed riders for the 2005 World Superbike Championship: Superbike: Fila Ducati: James Toseland, Regis Laconi, Lorenzo Lanzi Alstare Suzuki: Troy Corser. Yukio Kagayama. Foggy-Petronas: Steve...

Ten Kate exclusive

06 October 2004

The Ten Kate team stayed at the Magny Cours track following the final round of the 2004 World Superbike championship to give their 2005 riders a chance to test, and we’ve got exclusive pictures from...

Gimbert in WSB for 2005

06 October 2004

After putting in an impressive performance at the Magny Cours round of the World Superbike championship former 500GP rider Sebastien Gimbert looks set to compete the whole season in 2005. Gimbert...

F1 loss could be our gain

06 October 2004

Silverstone is drawing up plans for life without the F1 GP – and it could be good news for bikes. Insiders say the loss of the money-spinning F1 event means they have to make more of events like WSB...

Parkes to Yamaha

01 October 2004

Broc Parkes will ride for the Yamaha Motor Germany team in the Supersport World Championship in 2005 alongside fellow Australian Kevin Curtain. Parkes finished the 2004 season as runner-up to Ten...

Toseland is WSB Champ

01 October 2004

Friday qualifying Sebastien Gimbert has put his wildcard Yamaha R1 on pole for the final round of the World Superbike championship at Magny Cour on Sunday, October 3. Gimbert shares the front row...

WSB live qualifying

29 September 2004

James Toseland heads to this weekend’s final round of the 2004 WSB championship just four points away from the world title. That’s the gap between him and factory Ducati team-mate Regis Laconi as the...

Silverstone loses F1 GP

29 September 2004

Silverstone has lost the Formula 1 Grand Prix – a decision which casts a gloomy cloud over all the circuit’s activities. The Northants venue currently hosts a WSB round and a British Superbike...

Laconi leads into France

22 September 2004

James Toseland lost his slender WSB title lead at Imola in Italy on Sunday. He goes to next weekend’s final round in France four points behind a Frenchman. It is Toseland’s Ducati team-mate Regis...

Imola Superpole

22 September 2004

Times from the Imola Superpole session to decide the top 16 of the grid for the Imola round of the World Superbike championship on Sunday, September 26. 1) Laconi 1:49.818. 2) Vermuelen 1:49.930. 3)...

Laconi on pole for Imola

22 September 2004

Regis Laconi has moved into pole position in the second qualifying session for the Imola round of the World Superbike championship. The Frenchman went half a second quicker than his best time on...

Muggeridge wins title

22 September 2004

Karl Muggeridge is the 2004 World Supersport champion for Ten Kate Honda, after his rival, Jurgen Van Den Goorbergh crashed out of the race on lap 12. Muggeridge and team-mate Broc Parkes were...

Haga on provisional pole

22 September 2004

Noriyuki Haga is on provisional pole for Sunday’s Imola WSB round with championship hopeful James Toseland sixth fastest. Toseland was third quickest in Friday morning practice. Now he must hope to...

Toseland back in front

01 September 2004

James Toseland has moved to first place in the hunt for the WSB title after winning race one and coming second in race two at Assen on Sunday (Sep 5). The young Brit is now a slender three points...

Assen set for title tussle

01 September 2004

James Toseland begins practice on Friday at Assen just eight points adrift of the World Superbike championship lead. There are 150 points still on offer as the series enters its final three rounds –...

Schwantz racing return

25 August 2004

GP legend Kevin Schwantz to return to competitive racing when he takes part in the Bol d’Or 24-hour endurance race on September 11-12. The former 500cc World Champion will compete in a road race for...

MV takes first win

25 August 2004

The Italian MV Agusta marque has taken it’s first win in 28 years with a victory in the German Superbike Championship. Jorg Teuchert, the 2000 Worlds Supersport Champion, took second in the first...

Brands WSB faces axe?

04 August 2004

Sunday may have seen the last Brands Hatch WSB round ever. The contract between championship organisers and the circuit owner finished with Sunday’s race and the two sides have been unable to reach...

Haga does the double

01 August 2004

Noriyuki Haga has made it a double win at Brands Hatch World Superbikes after taking the top spot in a dramatic race 2 despite not crossing the line first. The second superbike race of the day was...

Win VIP WSB treatment

28 July 2004

The Brands Hatch round of the World Superbike championship is on Sunday July 31. And if you spot www.motorcyclenews.com Products Editor Dan Thornton at the Kent circuit, you could win a VIP trip to...

Coxhell: Brands wildcard

28 July 2004

Australian British Superbike rider Craig Coxhell will make his World Superbike debut as a wildcard at Brands Hatch this weekend. The 21-year-old from Melbourne races for the Vitrans team on a Honda...

No Triumphs at Brands

28 July 2004

The Triumph ValMoto team has pulled out of the Supersport race at Brands Hatch this weekend to concentrate on their British championship campaign. The team were due to field rider Craig Jones, but...

Brands first qualifying

28 July 2004

Frankie Chili has topped the first qualifying session at Brands Hatch World Superbikes while Gianluca Nannelli takes second place on the provisional grid. This puts two two-year-old Ducati 998s ahead...

Chili to ride a Kawasaki

28 July 2004

The PSG-1 team, which currently fields Pier-Francesco Chili, has announced it will switch to running Kawasaki ZX-10Rs in 2005. The brief statement has not named riders for next season, but has stated...