The new Castrol Honda World Superbike Team was revealed today at the Castrol Technology Center, bringing back Castrol as the title sponsor, with the magnificent livery colours that will grace Ten Kates Honda CBR1000RR’s in 2011.
Castrol has been associated with Honda since 1959 and as a title sponsor helped take three World Superbike titles in 1997, 2000 and 2002.
The 2011 team efforts will be placed in the capable riding skills of now veteran Honda rider Jonathan Rea, who is giving up his #65 racing number to take #4, where he finished in 2010 standings, and newcomer to the team, Ruben Xaus who certainly will have something to prove after his two unimpressive seasons with the BMW Motorrad team.
Donald Smith – sponsorship manager, Global Marketing Unit, Castrol:Castrol are delighted to join Honda once again to see the return of the famous Castrol Honda World Superbike team to racetracks around the world.
Motorcycle racing provides Castrol with the ultimate environment to test and develop our advanced Castrol Power One technology and the Castrol Honda World Superbike team provides a powerful and exciting platform to demonstrate the performance of our Castrol Power One products.
” Carlo Fiorani – racing operations manager, Honda Motor Europe“We are absolutely thrilled that Castrol has shown this level of faith in Honda and its World Superbike championship team.
We are really looking forward to the 2011 season and to achieving even more wins under this famous racing banner.
It’s great to have an such an iconic motorsport brand as title sponsor for the team and, personally, I think the Castrol Honda CBR1000RR race machine looks absolutely fantastic!”Ronald ten Kate – manager, Castrol Honda World Superbike Team:“When our world championship racing adventure was first beginning, many years ago now, Castrol Honda was the one team in the paddock which everyone looked up to, whose professional and performance standards we all wanted to achieve.
It is an honour for us now to be racing under this famous and historically successful banner and we are privileged to be following in the footsteps of the team we admired so much in the past.
You can be sure that everyone in the Ten Kate Racing organisation – riders, mechanics, and all the workshop staff – will give 100% commitment to this really exciting new phase of our World Superbike campaign.
Jonathan Rea – #4:“One of my main inspirations for racing was watching Castrol Honda’s Colin Edwards battle Troy Bayliss for the World Superbike championship in that epic season in 2002.
It’s a real honour for me to be racing under those same famous colours for the 2011 season and I’ll be trying my hardest to recreate what Colin did for the Castrol Honda team.
I think the bike looks fantastic and I know the Ten Kate guys back at the workshop have been working really hard on its technical development since last season finished so now I just can’t wait to get started.
”Ruben Xaus – #111:“After many years of racing at world championship level it is very nice and important for me to be part of a big project like the new Castrol Honda team.
The biggest motorcycle manufacturer in the world is joining together with one of the biggest lubricants companies in the world and supporting the Ten Kate team, which has had a lot of success with many world championship titles.
All together it’s a big and really exciting mixture and I will give my talent and every effort to help Castrol and the Honda CBR1000RR become a regular winning partnership in the 2011 championship.
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