Alstare and Bimota sign Iddon for WSB Evo

Only hours after announcing their new partnership, Bimota and Alstare Racing have announced a return to the World Superbike Championship for the Belgian team, as Brit Christian Iddon joins Ayrton Badovini in the new Evo class.

The team will race in the restricted rules class-within-a-class being introduced as a pilot for a full scale change in 2015, using the Italian firm’s new BMW-powered BB3.

Iddon, who has family history with Bimota after father Paul contested one in the initial season of WSB, joins after a successful season in WSB where he took his first podium on the ParkinGO MV Agusta. Sponsor ParkinGO will move with him to sponsor the Bimota team.

Christian Iddon added:  “This is an amazing opportunity for me and I am very excited about the challenge ahead. Alstare is a famous team, with a big history and I am sure that I am going to learn a lot from them.  They have loads of experience and that is going to help me, in what is going to be a very interesting season. I know I’ve got a great team behind me and I am looking forward to working with them and maybe surprising a few people.”

Ayrton Badovini added: “The early part of this year is going to be a bit difficult because of our late start, but having said that, I’ve got such a good team backing me, I know we can do a nice job. If things go well, and I see no reason they should not, my target is to develop the bike quickly and win the EVO title this year.”

“Although the BB3 is a new bike, I know the engine characteristics very well, from my two years with it in 2011 and 2012. It is a nice engine – fast, but very usable at all speeds. I don’t think we’re going to need to do a lot of work on the engine, which leaves us to concentrate of the rest of the package.”

Batta concluded:  “I am very happy and excited about this long-term global project with Bimota – a famous and highly thought of brand. It all started at the EICMA last November, when I met the new owners Marco Chiancianesi and Daniele Longoni and immediately got on well with them. After that first meeting, I had a really good feeling about our prospects together.”

“We knew our companies would complement each other in every way and such a symbiosis would be of enormous benefit all round. We both have enjoyed success in racing and putting our expertise together will be like a marriage made in heaven.”