Boston motorcycle racing ace Ben Wilson is to contest the prestigious new Henderson Yamaha R1 Cup which is scheduled to be run at the British Superbike rounds in 2008 and has the added bonus of two races alongside the British round of MotoGP at Donington Park on June 22.
The new series is to be run by Rob McElnea from his Scunthorpe base and will replace the Virgin Yamaha R6 Cup which brought new talent to the eye of the spectators with several riders, including Tommy Hill, Cal Crutchlow, Billy McConnell and Tom Grant having progressed to become top riders in the UK.
Where the Henderson R1 Cup differs is that it will give every one of the 36 competitors and equal chance of success, pitting experienced riders with young newcomers. All 36 bikes will be identical and maintained by Rob McElnea Racing. They will be stock R1s equipped with racing exhausts and race kitted forks and will run on slick tyres.
“I had one or two options available to me for 2008 but I decided that the Henderson R1 Cup was the championship for me this year. It is an exciting challenge and with 2008 being its inaugural year the series is attracting a lot of interest both from the riders and the media,” said Ben.
“This is a totally unique racing concept in that we are to have two championships in one. The twelve races with BSB are to be split into two six-round championships, the Spring Cup and the Autumn Cup and then an overall series winner declared from there.
“The decision to run on slick tyres will raise the bar as far as pace goes and is as near to Superbike racing as it gets.
“I expect the racing to be fiercely competitive and exciting for the spectators as well as the riders and am really looking forward to the start of the season when I can get my challenge underway.”
Rob McElnea was also enthusiastic about the Henderson R1 Cup and Wilson’s chances of success. He said: “This series is set up for guys like Ben as, without the full factory back up, riders with the talent that Ben has shown struggle to break through.
“The Henderson R1 Cup will give him a chance to prove himself on totally even machinery as a genuine championship contender in 2008 and Ben will be on most teams shopping list for 2009!"
Ben would like to take this opportunity to thank Daytona Germany, Jim at Scott Leathers, Helen Pask for press and PR, Chris Johnson at Sportgraphix, David Hilton at Windmill Cars and all his family and friends for their ongoing support and anyone who would care to assist with sponsorship can contact him on 07889 131313.
