Beowulf switch to Yamaha

Beowulf Racing has decided to switch to Yamaha for their 2008 UK and European campaigns. The team has run Suzuki machinery since 1997 but the change is down to machinery availability.

Joint Team Owner and Technical Head Andy Stone explained: “We’ve undertaken a major winter testing programme during the off-season this year” he says, “with four sessions already completed in Spain and the UK, and another five or six still to come.

“Two of our riders, Dan Linfoot and Gino Rea, were granted a brief test ride aboard the Virgin Media Supersport Yamaha R6’s at Barcelona during November and from that we knew the bike would be competitive. With the new R6 being available ahead of the 2008 Suzuki, the benefit to our testing programme was clear so it made sense to make the switch.

“I’m already very impressed with the racing division set-up at Yamaha in the short time we’ve been working with them” he added. “They’ve provided a lot of support so I don’t foresee any major problems with changing manufacturer and I’m confident that we’ll be bang on the pace by the start of the season.”

The first batch of the squad’s six new race machines were ridden in anger for the first time at Brands Hatch last weekend. Following further development, another test is set to take place at Oulton Park in two week’s time.

The opening races of the Somerset-based squads 2008 European and UK campaigns take place on the first weekend of April at Valencia and Brands Hatch respectively. In the meantime, fans can keep up-to-date with all the latest news by visiting www.beowulf-racing.com