World Superbike's 2008 cast gathered recently for the '08 WSBK launch press conference. image : thanks FG Sport

These just in from FG Sport:

THE 21ST EDITION OF THE SUPERBIKE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP GETS UNDERWAY WITH OFFICIAL LAUNCH IN MILAN

Milan, 31st January 2008: The Superbike World Championship begins its 21st year with a number of important changes for 2008.

First of all there is a new title sponsor, the Taiwan-based electronics giant HANNspree, who have chosen the Superbike World Championship as their main vehicle of promotion in the field of sport.

As a result the championship now becomes officially known as "HANNspree Superbike World Championship".

Thanks to a three-year agreement, our championship can now count on an important partnership with a company that in just a short period of time has been able to establish itself at the very top of the super-competitive European and American markets.

We are convinced that the enthusiasm and creativity of HANNspree will be a great ?boost' for the growth of the Superbike World Championship in the near future.

The 2008 season presents a significant improvement in the event calendar.

Above all a race returns to the United States, an important market for the Superbike World Championship and for large-capacity motorbikes. The Miller Motorsports Park at Salt Lake City, one of the most modern in the USA, will be the venue for our event on June 1st.

The other important changes regard Germany, given that the Nurburgring circuit, the most suitable and prestigious track in that country, will be the scene for the Superbike German Round from 2008 onwards, and Portugal, at the brand-new Portimao track for the closing round of the 2008 season.
Finally we hope to be able to confirm soon the inclusion of the Indonesian Round at Sentul, which aims to bring back the Superbike World Championship to South-East Asia, an area that is showing massive economic growth and which is of vital importance for the motorcycle industry.

While the venues for the Superbike World Championship are top-quality, as can be seen by a glance at the entire calendar, the same can also be said for the entry list for all the categories of racing in 2008.

To get an idea of the level of spectacle that will be on offer, just have a look at a few numbers:
28 permanent riders in Superbike on 9 Honda, 6 Ducati, 6 Yamaha, 4 Kawasaki, 3 Suzuki machines.

36 riders in Supersport, 41 in Superstock 1000 and 33 in Superstock 600.

But that's not all. Already this season the 'traditional' manufacturers present in our events such as Ducati, Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha, will be joined by Triumph in Supersport and KTM in Superstock 1000.

For 2009 the arrival of BMW in Superbike is now official, and they will most probably be joined by Aprilia and KTM.
This star-studded grid is quite possibly the most prestigious ever seen in the history of motorbike racing.
The changes for 2008 don't stop out on the track but also regard the Paddock.

In fact a completely new Paddock Show structure will accommodate all the events that make up the Superbike paddock and create a true meeting-point between fans and riders.

Furthermore the entire hospitality area layout will be conceived in such a way as to maximize visibility and promotional opportunities for all the teams and entertainment for the fans.

Last but not least, the joint-venture between FGSport and the Infront group will begin to take shape on an operational level.

Several companies of the Infront group will in fact be directly involved in areas such as television production, management of the website and the running of the hospitality structure and paddock show.

Furthermore 2008 sees the official start of joint sales development activities, in particular regarding TV rights and new media, areas in which the Swiss group is one of the leaders in the international market.

With these innovations all signs point to a significant and long-lasting development which we hope will make the Superbike World Championship a preferential choice for fans, media and everyone who works in this field.

Paolo Flammini
FGSport Chief Executive Officer

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Rome (Italy), 30 January 2008: FGSport would like to announce that Julian Thomas is to become the Press Office Manager for the SBK Superbike World Championship with immediate effect.

The 49-year-old from the UK will be responsible for all media aspects pertaining to the championship, including press conferences, TV interviews and the implementation of the new official SBK website. He will report to SBK Project Leader Paolo Ciabatti, and together with SBK Organization Manager Cristina Siani, will coordinate the existing press team made up of Federica Marti and Nino Barra, responsible respectively for International and Italian media.

Paolo Flammini, CEO of FGSport, declared "We are extremely pleased to welcome Julian in our organization. The SBK Superbike World Championship is developing at full speed, with 28 permanent riders confirmed for the 2008 season and new manufacturers already committed to the series for 2009. We felt it was the right time to strengthen the structure of our press office to cope with the increased media interest and Julian, with his experience in motor sport and in particular in our championship, was almost a natural choice for the position. We would like to wish him all the best in his new role".

Julian Thomas has lived in Italy since 1984 and has worked in motor sport since 1989, initially as a journalist in Italian Formula 3, Touring Cars and rallying. He was also Press Officer for the Lancia Martini World Rally Championship Team before switching to two wheels in 1995, becoming SBK Press Officer with the championship organisers Flammini Group (now FGSport) in the three-year period from 1995 to 1997.

He worked in Ducati Corse as SBK press officer for seven years beginning 2001 until the end of last year and now joins FGSport again as the Press Office Manager for the Championship.

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