British Superbike

Josh Brookes aboard the HM Plant Honda in Supersport last year

Factory HM Plant Honda British Superbike Championship rider Josh Brookes has suffered a cruel blow to his 2009 title hopes after being denied entry into the UK following delays with his sporting visa.

The former World Supersport rider has been having difficult arranging a visa for the season after stricter laws were implemented for this year, with a British solicitor working on the case for the Sydneysider.

Brookes has done everything that he can do from his end but now has to wait for the correct licensing to go through from Honda in the UK and the ACU, which is the motorcycle sport governing body over there.

It’s been a frustrating couple of months for the 25-year-old after he abandoned the world championship to join the factory Honda BSB outfit, although he did travel to England in hope of getting through for this weekend’s opening round at Brands Hatch Indy.

Upon landing in Britain, Brookes was denied entry and taken in for questioning for 16 hours before being escorted directly back onto a plane bound for Sydney – crushing his hopes of making the first race of the year.

“If I miss one round and lose the points it’s not the end of the world,” Brookes exclusively told MotoOnline.com.au. “But if I miss two or more then I don’t know what could happen as far as my ride goes or payments. I’m hoping that this stuff can get sorted before the next round and we can forget about it, but if I do miss the next round then I could imagine that the guys would probably want to put somebody else on the bike permanently.

“Nothing’s been said about what would happen and we haven’t spoken about it, but you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to realise that if you’re not showing up to race then they are going to have to put other people on the motorbike. I’m a bit concerned that if things don’t improve quickly then it may get messy later on.”

Brookes’s solicitor is continuing to work on the visa, but a worse case scenario is that it could take up to two months to arrive, which would effectively put him out of the season until the fifth round of the season at the end of June at Snetterton. Veteran Steve Plater will replace Brookes at the opening round at least.

Meanwhile, both Glen Richards and Jason O’Halloran are in the UK and ready to begin their 2009 campaigns.

MotoGP
More regulation changes have been announced for the MotoGP World Championship, with the series undergoing massive restructures throughout the past few months.

Major changes in the press release posted here include limitations on when teams can announce replacement riders, with just two hours before qualifying being the final moment that they can change if need be.

The series’ schedule has been posted in final, as has the definition and clarification of when the winter testing ban will be taking place. Also defined are more in-depth terms regarding the engine limitations and how they will be monitored, as well as various other technical details that feature more info than the vague releases that have previously been sent out.

Check it all out in the Press Release section right here.

Judd Greedy's funeral details have been announced

Australian Superbike
Funeral details for fallen Australian Supersport Championship rider Judd Greedy have been posted on his website, with a who’s who of the Australian motorcycle racing fraternity expected to attend next week. Here are the details:

Date:
Wednesday 15th April

Time:
10am

Place:
St Joseph’s Church
Cnr Newcastle & King Streets
East Maitland

Then to:
Campbell’s Hill Cemetery
South Street
Telarah  NSW  2320

Afterward to celebrate his life:
Maitland Rugby Union Club
Marcellin Park
Glenarvon Road, Lorn, 2320

In other ASBK news, a decision on whether or not the series will be going to Barbagallo Raceway in Western Australia is expected to be revealed next week after the announcement in Tasmania that a feasibility study had commenced.

There are many pros and cons for the series to make the long haul over to WA, so it’s just a matter of IEG working out whether it is viable and if the riders and teams (factory and private) will be welcoming of the event if it takes place.

If there’s one thing that is for certain, WA has long attracted great crowds and also is one of the most popular circuits in Australia. It’s a massive logistical exercise to make it happen, but so is the Super X series heading to New Zealand, WA, and Tasmania in an even shorter time frame.

Mat Mladin is back in Oz

These last few weeks have been very emotionally straining for Yarrive Konsky and his dedicated crew, with the popular first standalone round being marred by the Supersport incident that casued the abandonment of Sunday’s racing, while Yarrive’s motocross team won the opening motocross round in the Pro Open class with Todd Waters.

American Superbike
American AMA Superbike Championship points leader Mat Mladin is back home in Australia for the Easter long weekend, fresh from dominating the opening five races of the 2009 championship. Stay tuned for a Moto Talk interview with Mat to be posted in the coming weeks.