Motourage

Australian Superbike Championship front runner Bryan Staring is heading to the UK for what he has described as the “chance of a lifetime” – a one-off ride with the HM Plant Honda Team in the Superstock 1000 class of the British Superbike Championship.

The 22-year-old Cougar Bourbon Honda Racing pilot has excelled in 2010, taking debut race and round wins in the national series and catching the eye of Honda counterparts in the UK who were searching for a replacement for their injured regular rider, Steve Plater.

Already familiar with the CBR1000, the Gold Coast-based rider is hoping to quickly adapt to what the new bike asks of him when he hits the Snetterton circuit this Friday through Sunday. He will race as teammate to fellow Aussie Josh Brookes who leads the championship.

“I am absolutely rapt with this chance and can’t thank Honda enough for looking after me and providing this opportunity,” said Staring. “I’ve set my sights on racing in the BSB (British Superbike Championship) in the past and this is a good chance to see how it all works and how competitive I can be. I’m not overly worried about the results, I’m more focused on learning the characteristics of the bike and the nature of the tires and the grip they provide.”

“The Superstock machine will be quite close to the specs of our Aussie Superbikes so I’m hoping to adapt quickly. Josh (Waters) and Wayne (Maxwell) have shown they can match it with some of the best overseas so I’m hoping I can come up to speed pretty quickly.

“I’ve never been to Snetterton before, the only UK race I have competed in was at Donington and that was in the pouring rain – this will be a clean slate, the weather looks set to be fine and I’m really looking forward to meeting the team and learning the ins and outs of the circuit.”

“We are always looking to develop and foster Australian talent at an international level, and Bryan certainly deserves this opportunity with a first rate team, added Honda Australia’s General Manager, Motorcycles, Tony Hinton.  “We are confident he will do very well in the UK and wish him success this weekend.”

The 2009 national Supersport champion, Staring  currently leads the ASBK championship by 4.5 points over Wayne Maxwell and 9.5 points over Josh Waters.

MSS Colchester Kawasaki have signed Howie Mainwaring to showcase the production Kawasaki ZX-10R in the fiercely competitive Metzeler National Superstock Championship.

Twenty-two year old Mainwaring has been in the British Superbike and Superstock series for many years and the team believe he will be a front runner with a good level of support.

This year’s Superstock class has an unparalleled level of ex-Superbike riders making it a must-see event for spectators. The team have prepared numerous high-level Superstock machines and are excited to be entering the series in their own right for the new season.

Howie Mainwaring has Superstock experience on a Suzuki and Yamaha.

The Superstock effort will run alongside the blue riband Superbike development meaning Howie will benefit from testing and R+D from the famed performance house. Superstock machines must run standard engines and chassis parts with only minor alterations, making them a class that proves the prowess of the original production machines bought in showrooms.

Howie is the fourth member of the MSS Colchester Kawasaki squad. Simon Andrews and Gary Mason are confirmed for British Superbikes while roads specialist Ryan Farquhar is signed up for the Isle Of Man TT and NW200.

MSS Colchester Kawasaki Team Owner, Nick Morgan said, “It’s great to be competing in Superstock, we know the ZX-10R is a quality machine straight out of the crate with good power and we think Howie is ready for the challenge. He’s been around for a while but this could be his big break and he knows it.”

Howie Mainwaring added, “I am really looking forward to the 2010 season with MSS Colchester Kawasaki and I feel that I have a fantastic opportunity with such a professional team and package. I love the Kawasaki ZX-10R having rode one last season with several top 6 finishes and equaling the fastest lap of the race at Thruxton. I genuinely feel I can be a championship contender despite the level of the series this season and testing starts soon, so I can’t wait to get started!”

Name: Howie Mainwaring
Age: 22.
Job: Engineer/Bike Racer.
Hobbies and Interests: Mountain biking, going to the gym and motocross.
Favorite Films: Rocky 3 and 5, Days of Thunder.
Best Career Moments: Getting the first win for MV Agusta in the British Championship for 37 years.
Worst Career Moments: Breaking my neck in Monza in World Superbikes.