MORE MOVERS & SHAKERS
More weeks roll by, and more seats get filled although, as usual, a huge raft of BSB teams are yet to announce full rider line-ups bar the top boys of Tyco BMW, PBM Ducati and JG Speedfit Kawasaki and the (Louth massive) Honda outfit, who will be campaigning with the same faces once more. That being said, a new (to the series) name has cropped up who will be joining Peter Hickman at Smiths BMW, monsieur Sylvain Barrier.
Sylvain, who used to get so easily distracted by anything with legs that James Toseland used to take his mobile phone off him at every WSB round so he’d concentrate better, has had a bit of an up and down time of things recently. His CV is pretty good, winning the hotly contested European Superstock title two years on the bounce, before a so-so move up to WSB. He most recently tried to find fame and fortune in Moto America, a la Toni Elias, but injured himself badly enough that the entire season was a bust. Now he finds himself on the rebuilding trail, though BSB is hardly the easiest forum to do that in, as another Sylvain found out for the majority of the year in 2017.
Speaking of which, Mr Guintoli even after a sterling showing in the final rounds of WSB with Puccetti Kawasaki, hasn’t nabbed that seat. Instead it goes to rising Turkish star Toprak Razgatioglu, himself moving up with the big boys. Where Guintoli ends up is currently a mystery as we write just a day prior to Motorcycle Live (where we expect more BSB rider movement announcements), though he proved by his single win in BSB, and great results in WSB, that he still has a lot to offer. Perhaps on a Suzuki again, as the Grillini team bin off Kawasaki for Suzuki with both riders yet to be announced. They won’t be official, nor even officially supported we don’t think, but they’re a good bunch and, surely, if they’re the only Suzukis present the Japanese factory should at some point intervene so they don’t get totally blown away? We’ll see…
Elsewhere, Andrew Irwin moves to World Supersport with the CIA Landlords effort. He had a good year in British Supersport, but like Luke Stapleford before him, will discover the step up to world level is an entirely different ball game – but we reckon he’ll be okay!