Gowland gets second year with Team WFR

BSB Evo sensation Graeme Gowland will get a second season with Team WFR Honda. Gowland was one of the stars of the show in the second half of the 2011 BSB season, bouncing back from a wrist injury to produce some of the most exciting racing action of the year with his full-lock slides on the Evo-spec Blade. MCN asked him about his new deal…

How does it feel knowing that you’ve a second season on the WFR team?
It’s nice to know I’ll be able to pick up from where I left off at the end of this season. All my career I’ve wanted to get a second year on a team but this will be the first time it’s been possible.

You’ve ridden in BSB Evo this year, which means no electronic rider aids. Presumably that’s going to be a big benefit next year with the spec ECU and no electronic aids across the entire grid?
The fast boys will still be fast but yeah, the new rules suit me. I said all year I was looking to get on the same spec bike as everyone else. Now I’ve got that chance.  I don’t mind when the tyres go off. It’s the motocrosser in me. But I found this past year how much there is to learn about managing the tyre wear. I think we’ll have an advantage going into the season.

You’ve already tested a basic version of your 2012 bike in Spain. How was it?
We had more power on top without altering the drivability of the engine lower down. And because the engine delivers the power in the same way means we can continue with the same good chassis settings.

But you tried different suspension and chassis settings…
We did. I clocked up about 350 laps over four days and we got through a huge amount of work to give us a good start on development of our 2012 bike.

Full Team WFR story in MCN this Wednesday, November 16.