HM Plant Honda cut back to one bike per rider

HM Plant Honda team boss Neil Tuxworth has confirmed that the team will cut back to one bike per rider in 2009 for new BSB signings Glen Richards and Josh Brookes as part of a cost-cutting programme in the light of current global financial crisis.

The HM Plant Honda team has always run two bikes per rider but have the experience of running one-bike per rider teams in the past with their Red Bull Honda and Bike Animal Honda programmes for Jonathan Rea and Leon Camier respectively.

Tuxworth said: “I’ve been proposing one bike per rider for two or three years now in a bid to reduce costs but always been shouted down (in BSB team meetings).

But there’s a rule in place for GP125 to have one bike for each rider, Dorna are going to do the same for the 250/600 class at MotoGP and I feel it’s the way BSB should go.

“We’re going to have one bike each for Glen and Josh and the two spare bikes will be built into bikes for the roads to be used by John McGuinness and Steve Plater at the North West and TT.

“We’ll still run two bikes in British Supersport for Steve Plater. That’s because we need to have two bikes fully developed for the North West and TT races which will be ridden by Steve and John.”

The reduction in bikes falls into line with the reduction in staff announced recently by the Louth-based team. But there are other savings too.

“With only four bikes to take to a BSB round it means we only need to run one transporter instead of two. We’ll be keeping the other transporter for the North West and TT.

HM Plant Honda isn’t the only BSB team opting to run one bike per rider in 2009. Rob Mac Racing Yamaha will only have one superbike for Michael Rutter (with NW200 Coca Cola Zero backing), Chris Walker and Graeme Gowland (Motorpoint and Hendersons livery).