Shakey to PBM Kawasaki

Shakey Byrne and Stuart Easton will ride for Paul Bird Motorsports Kawasaki this season in BSB. Anyone know what's happening at HM Plant Honda?

Has anyone heard anything about what Tommy Hill will be doing? I would expect that he'd want to move up to international competition but riders are quickly filling up.



Tom Sykes for that matter, is he staying with factory Kawasaki in wsbk?



And Josh Brookes? I know he isn't that popular, but i like the guy and i think he's a good and spectacular rider

Tom said:

Has anyone heard anything about what Tommy Hill will be doing? I would expect that he'd want to move up to international competition but riders are quickly filling up.



Tom Sykes for that matter, is he staying with factory Kawasaki in wsbk?



And Josh Brookes? I know he isn't that popular, but i like the guy and i think he's a good and spectacular rider

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To be honest, this is the first news I've heard from anyone in BSB this season. Obviously Hopkins is moving up with Suzuki, and there were rumors that Hill would go to Crescent WSB, but I have to believe that rumor is dead with Camier's arrival there. Unless Suzuki MotoGP run two riders after all and Hopkins winds up there.



But it's been very quiet on that front. I believe Kiyo has left HM Plant Honda as well. No noise from them, Swan Yamaha, or Relentless Suzuki. I like Brookes, as well. Super talented, but I think he lives in his head a bit. One of the nicest guys in that paddock, hands down.

Tom said:

And Josh Brookes? I know he isn't that popular, but i like the guy and i think he's a good and spectacular rider

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Why is Brookes not popular? He rides like a mad man. Is he not popular with other riders or spectators or both? I thought Brits liked riders that were on the edge and looked it every corner? That is unless he's taken out a few Brits in his day (I don't know since I haven't followed BSB closely, except in year end reviews and such). I enjoyed watching him race this year. A bit of Crazy Joe in him.



Austin, is BSB Kawasaki like Kawasaki everywhere else in the world? If so, then I can't be happy about this signing.

Jumkie said:

That is unless he's taken out a few Brits in his day (I don't know since I haven't followed BSB closely, except in year end reviews and such).

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There was a crash at mallory park where he went over the bars braking for the stupidly tight hairpin taking down a a few riders, then the sighting lap incident that broke guintolis leg, then the incident with rutter this year, for which he got a penalty. Bad Boy Brookes or something i've heard him called.

Jumkie said:

Why is Brookes not popular? He rides like a mad man. Is he not popular with other riders or spectators or both? I thought Brits liked riders that were on the edge and looked it every corner? That is unless he's taken out a few Brits in his day (I don't know since I haven't followed BSB closely, except in year end reviews and such). I enjoyed watching him race this year. A bit of Crazy Joe in him.



Austin, is BSB Kawasaki like Kawasaki everywhere else in the world? If so, then I can't be happy about this signing.

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I can't speak for everyone within the paddock, but from what I heard, people seem to think that he's rather finicky and perhaps a little bit difficult to work with. Just before the midway point of the season, he was really struggling. They had a test just before the Snetterton round and the report was that he would go out for a lap, maybe two, come back and say, "this isn't right, change this, that, and the other," rather than pounding around for a number of laps to get a good sense of the new bits. Just paddock gossip. But like I said before, one of the nicest, if not the nicest guy in the paddock.



Well just as Kawasaki's programs change hands all over the world, they do in BSB as well. With Paul Bird coming back, I must believe that Kawasaki decided MSS Colchester (can't remember the guy's name who was/is in charge of that operation) weren't doing the business. Paul Bird ran the MonsterMob Ducati operation, I believe Shakey won a title on that team in 2002 or 2003 or something like that, resident (and I use that term with its full meaning) experts would have to tell you for sure. Long story short, PBM is a good team, Shakey and Easton are both more than capable riders, a lot of people seem to think there is still lots of potential in the ZX-10R, so it seems to me it's not a bad move for Shakey. And with the move to spec ECU and knowing HM Plant were running HRC kit, I have to wonder if Shakey's departure signals some instability or lack of confidence in the Honda under the new rules package.

Shakey was champ on Monstermob Ducati in 03, with PBM. He won at the WSBK round at Brands Hatch too. PBM then ran Stobart Honda, which was a pretty decent setup

Tommy Hill is one of the reasons there's no news in BSB. He's another cog in the wheel that's waiting to see what Suzuki do. If Suzuki stay in MotoGP and take Hopkins, Hill will move to Crescent Suzuki WSB. If they drop out or don't take Hopkins, Hopkins goes Crescent Suzuki WSB, Hill likely remains at Swan Yamaha, but still need to see what HM Plant Honda do with their vacancies.

Thanks for the knowledge gentz.

Paul Bird and his PBM team are one of the best funded in bike racing. They certainly have the financial clout to run a very very competitive BSB team. He invested significant amounts of his own money to try and keep Kawasaki's WSBK team running over the past couple of seasons, so props go out to Mr Bird. Apparently, Aprilia and Yamaha offered bikes for him to run another WSBK team in 2012 but he said he was bored of the series. From what I had heard, hid aim is to run a British built bike, with an all brit line up in MotoGP in the very near future. It must be competitive and funding it will not be an issue



To be honest, never been a Byrne fan, but Shakey and Easton will be a very handy team.



Good luck to you Mr Bird. I salute you !

News filtered out about three hours ago (midnight local, which I find strange) that Michael Laverty and Jon Kirkham will ride for HM Plant Honda next season. Didn't see that coming. Leaves an opening at Swan Yamaha. Also read Alastair Seeley has been doing some testing for Crescent Suzuki while Hopkins is still banged up. Maybe he's available?

Never really rated M. Laverty that much, i don't fancy Hondas chances next year against Brookes, The green machines and probably Tommy Hill.

Tom said:

Never really rated M. Laverty that much, i don't fancy Hondas chances next year against Brookes, The green machines and probably Tommy Hill.

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I like Lav, although I don't think he's ever going to win a title. Not sure what those guys had in mind in signing up Laverty and Kirkham. Not a proven title challenger in the team. Again, it says something to me about the perceived competitiveness of the Honda under the new BSB rules and/or it says something about Honda's commitment to the series.



Next year will come down to Hill, Shakey, and Brookes (if he can pull his finger out). I'm pulling for Brookes, but I won't be putting any money on him.

i like ratboy, so i want Kawasaki on top

Thought that was McCoy,Tom?

Stuart Easton