Occasional motorcycle racing news reports, results and other ruminations on MotoGP, World Superbike, British Superbike and more.

Ruben Xaus Signs With BMW Motorrad Motorsport for 2009 World Superbike

June 26, 2008 - Munich. BMW Motorrad Motorsport have announced that they have agreed terms with Ruben Xaus and that he will ride their all-new BMW S 1000 RR (wBW report, photos) in the Superbike World Championship in 2009.

The contract between BMW Motorrad Motorsport and Ruben is for two years and is the first step in BMW Motorrad Motorsport's entry into the World Superbike Championship. 

Ruben was born in Sant Cugat des Valles in Cataluyna, Spain and now resides with his wife (Mariona) and daughter (Julia) in Andorra.  He has been a World Superbike regular since 1998 and has taken 34 podiums, including 10 victories.

Peter Mueller (Executive Vice President Development & Model Lines):  "Ever since we announced that we would enter the 2009 Superbike World Championship, there has been a lot of speculation about and interest in our bike and our riders.

Everybody has already had some information about our new S1000 RR bike, and today we can reveal one of the riders who will join us in this great adventure next year.  Ruben is a strong and combative rider, full of enthusiasm and with a passion for racing.

This fits our philosophy completely and together we will take on this new challenge.  We know that the Superbike World Championship is a very hard and competitive series, but we are not entering it just to make up the numbers: we will be taking part because we want to win!

Of course, we are starting with a brand new bike but, together with Ruben, we believe we can progress quickly and maybe surprise a few people along the way.

Ruben Xaus:  "When I met the BMW guys, I was very impressed by their commitment, their passion for racing and their ideas about the future.  We discussed how the World Superbike project was going and I realized that I wanted to be a part of it straightaway.  It is not often that you get the chance to start a completely new project, but I am really looking forward to the challenge.  Although it's going to be tough racing a new bike, I believe BMW will give me a good bike and great support and that's all I ask for.

Yamaha Spain WSS Team Ready for 2008

December 22, 2007 -  2008 will be the Yamaha Spain World Supersport Team’s second season in World Supersport, being a newcomer last year and having successfully contested the Spanish Supersport Championship for the past five years.  David Salom will remain with the team and will be joined by highly experienced fellow Spaniard David de Gea.

Based in Barcelona, the Yamaha Spain World Supersport Team is managed by the veteran Dani Devahive, who has taken the team to national championship success three times since 2002 – in 2004, 2005 and 2006, before finishing 2007 in fourth.  Taking into account three second place finishes – in 2002, 2003 and 2004 - the Yamaha Spain squad is the most successful team in the Spanish Supersport Championship to date.  With one season of World Supersport experience under their belt and a brace of experienced national and international technicians in the team Dani is confident of making a next step upwards in their second year in the WSS championship.

The team’s main objective has always been to nurture young riders in the Spanish Championship and then launch them onto the world stage; having done this previously with Cardenas and Tizon, who both went into 250GP, the team is looking to achieve success with its latest protégé, David Salom.  Salom made an impact early on last year in his rookie season in World Supersport, achieving a sixth at Valencia followed on by a fifth at Assen.  The 23 year-old Spaniard contested in the national Supersport championship for three years prior to moving to the World Series in 2007.

30 year-old Jose David de Gea, better known as David, has raced in World Supersport previously but has focused on other classes in the last few years. His career has also seen him participate in 250GP and MotoGP races, though his best success has been in the Spanish Formula Extreme Championship, in which he is the current champion and has taken the title a total of four times since 2003.

The Yamaha Spain World Supersport Team is the third team to be supported by Yamaha Motor Europe in the championship, joining YME’s own Yamaha World Supersport Team and the Yamaha Team Italia squad.

Yamaha Spain Team - National Highlights
2007: 4th, Spanish Supersport Championship
2006: Spanish Supersport Champion
2005: Spanish Supersport Champion
2004: Spanish Supersport Champion and 2nd, Spanish Supersport Championship
2003: 2nd, Spanish Supersport Championship
2002: 2nd, Spanish Formula Extreme Championship

David Salom
Date of Birth: 16/10/1984
Nationality: Spanish
Residence: Spain
Career Highlights
2007: 21st, World Supersport Championship
2006: Spanish Supersport Champion
2005: 2nd, European Suzuki Cup and 4th, Spanish Supersport Championship
2004: 5th, Spanish Supersport Championship

David De Gea
Date of Birth: 09/12/1977
Nationality: Spanish
Residence: Spain
Career Highlights
2007: Spanish Formula Extreme Champion
2006: Spanish Formula Extreme Champion and participation in 3 races
250GP World Championship
2005: Spanish Formula Extreme Champion
2004: 3rd, Spanish Formula Extreme Championship
2003: Spanish Formula Extreme Champion and participation in MotoGP