The Biker Place

We’ve had a lot of emails and comments left asking about Alex’s plans for the 2008 season and we can now officially release the news from Astro Kawasaki.

Astro Kawasaki will be running 17 year-old Scot and star-in-the-making Alex Gault in the newly reformed 2008 Junior Superstock Championship on an ‘08 Kawasaki ZX-6. With his trophy stash already stacking up nicely, Alex is relishing the opportunity for his first full assault in the British Championship:

“This Championship’s so tough and so competitive it forces you to lift your game. I rode in the British 125GP Championship in 2005 and learned a huge amount. I realised then it was where I needed to be if I wanted to make it in this sport so I’m over the moon to be riding in Junior Superstock for Astro Kawasaki Racing this year, especially on the ZX-6 – I rode one last year at Knockhill and loved it. It wasn’t the most powerful bike out there but was easily the best handling”.

Astro Kawasaki 2008 News

After a long and fruitful association with Kawasaki in the British championship Astro Racing Kawasaki is delighted to strengthen its ties with the men in green and expand its own operation by becoming Kawasaki’s official superstock team for 2008.

21 year-old sensation Kenny Gilbertson who’s been campaigning ZX-10Rs in National Superstock under the Astro banner since 2006 can’t wait to get stuck into the new season:

“I’m made up with the official link with Kawasaki UK for this year. We’ve always had a strong association there, but now it’s full on. That means a lot to me and makes me hungrier than ever”.

And with a familiar team all around him as well as an all-new bike in the ZX-10 D8F, Kenny’s got all the tools he needs to get on with the job. He knows it won’t be easy though and he’s refreshingly candid about the challenges ahead:

“Last season we were top 15 all year. This year I want top ten all season and plenty of top fives. This is a tough class with some very experienced riders and big budget teams but I know we can pull off some major surprises. We’re testing at Almeria next month, we’ll be at the pre-season Snetterton test too, and I’ll be doing that many laps of Mallory I’ll be dizzy so I’ll be well up to speed with the bike by the time the season kicks off. The first round at Brands can’t come soon enough!”

Alex Brawn, racing coordinator for Kawasaki UK explained how the deal came about:

“Astro Racing had some great success running the ZX-10 last year at a time when the bike really needed a committed team and rider around it to get the best from it. Stuart, Kenny and the guys did just that making great progress and securing some good results. Kenny also has huge promise as a rider and his results last year, especially in the wet, prove that.

“So with a new year and a new ZX-10, we saw Astro Racing with Kenny on board as the perfect combination to get the bike working and where it deserves to be on track.”

The Astro line up is completed with 15 year-old Sean Winfield in his debut British Championship season who’ll be contesting the 125 GP Championship. Like his teammates, Sean’s association with Astro goes back a long way as the team have been one of his sponsors for years. Joining them full time for 2008 was a natural step forwards for this talented young rider who comes fresh from a season in the Aprilia Superteen Challenge last year.

“This is going to be a huge learning year for me. The first time I went out on the bike I couldn’t believe how fast it was after my Aprilia but I’m getting more used to it now. It’s also my first time on slicks, as well as my first time at a lot of the tracks we’ll be going to but I’m training hard and itching to get started.”

Looking to the coming season, team manager Stuart Tromans is very happy with the way his team’s developing:

“I came to this sport in 2002 when I sponsored Glen Richards before going on to be a principal sponsor at Hawk Kawasaki, a series sponsor for the MCRCB and also working closely with Craig Jones, John Reynolds and Paul Young. I started Astro Racing in 2004, running Peter Hickman in superstock and have stayed in the championship on Kawasakis ever since. It’s great to have that work and loyalty rewarded by becoming the official Kawasaki superstock team for 2008.

He also explained the reasons behind the team’s youthful make up:

“I wholeheartedly believe in young blood in this sport because if we ignore the younger riders out there this country’s never going to have another Barry Sheene. That’s why I’ve always had a policy of encouraging newer riders, which is exactly what we’re doing here with Alex and Sean. Kenny’s a young fresh talent too, but having worked with him for so long I already know he’s got enormous potential and I know we can challenge for some real results this season.”

Popularity: 28% [?]

Want to discuss this article? Sign up for the new social network for bikers. Think MySpace or Facebook but for bikers only.