Championship in 2009
Rob McElnea has secured the wealth of experience possessed by Chris Walker and Michael Rutter to spearhead a double pronged Yamaha assault upon the British Championship in 2009.
Chris Walker and Michael Rutter will lead the team on the all new Yamaha YZF R1 Superbike, increasing Yamaha's and Rob Mac Racing's presence on the grid. The caliber of these two riders will guarantee a very strong championship challenge and generate huge support from race fans.
Fans favourite, Chris Walker will be making a welcome return to the British Superbike paddock after a stint on the world stage. Chris is a four-time runner-up in the class and his years of experience will help to both develop and propel the Motorpoint/Henderson Yamaha to the sharp end of grid.
Across the Rob Mac Racing pit garage, running under NW200 Yamaha colours will be the vastly experienced Michael Rutter, who showed a resurgence in form during the 2008 season to become a pre-season title favourite for 2009. The continued collaboration between Michael Rutter and Alistair Kennedy's NW200 enterprise will allow the seasoned rider the opportunity to pilot the NW200 Yamaha as a serious contender for honours at next year's prestigious 80th anniversary NW200 event (16 May 2009).
Completing a two rider Superbike line-up in the Motorpoint/Henderson Yamaha team will be former Virgin Mobile Cup competitor, Graeme Gowland. The 22 year old finished fourth in the 2006, championship claiming three R6 Cup victories in the final four rounds, before heading to Spain where he secured the Supersport title at the first time of asking in 2007. Last season Graeme competed in the ultra competitive World Supersport championship.
Former British 125GP and 250cc MotoGP contender, Dan Linfoot has been drafted into the NW200 Yamaha squad with serious British Supersport title aspirations. The inclusion of both Dan Linfoot and Graeme Gowland displays Rob McElnea's quest in the continual development of Britain's young talented riders that first came to prominence with the hugely successful Virgin Mobile/Media Cup.
Rob Mac Racing has a series of pre-season tests planned to ensure that all four riders will be gunning for glory come the opening round of the 2009 season, scheduled to take place at the Brands Hatch Indy circuit over the Easter weekend of 10-13 April.
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Rob McElnea, Team Principal: "This is the most excited my team have been for many years, the brand new R1 has us all fired up and now to be able to announce our new rider line up really sets up a nice Christmas! Chris Walker and Michael Rutter will be both very serious title contenders, their experience and consistency will prove to be the major part to our success and at the same time help develop our young riders. It has been a very tricky time of late to put this team together and I really want to thank all of our partners new and old for lifting the spirits of my team and giving me a chance to put this show on the road. Gary Warren (Motorpoint) and Joe Henderson (Henderson) will be in the blue corner with Chris and Graeme, with Alistair Kennedy (NW200) in the red corner with Michael and Dan."
Chris Walker: "I'm so excited! It's mega to be back with Rob, the person who first gave me a serious ride in Superbikes almost 10 years ago. Rob's team has so much experience so I can't wait to get onto the new R1, and now with Michael (Rutter) in the team, it will mean we can pool our great experience and help develop the bike and be on the pace right from the word go."
Michael Rutter: "I'm looking forward to the new bike and a fresh new challenge. I've not ridden a Yamaha since 2000, which was a successful year for me. The championship is open wide this year and I believe that the Yamaha will be really competitive. So it's all new for his year, it'll be good to get out on the roads too for a good variety of racing. 2009 looks set to be a good year."
Gary Warren, Managing Director, Motorpoint: "Motorpoint is delighted to be involved in motor sports, and in particular British Superbikes. It is a sport that everyone in the company has followed avidly since its inception and it would be an understatement to say we can't wait for the new season to start. We're also thrilled to have Chris Walker and Graeme Gowland onboard. They are two of the most exciting riders around and I am confident they will do extremely well for us in 2009."
Joe Henderson, CEO Henderson Insurance: "We are delighted to announce the involvement of Henderson Insurance with Rob Mac Racing again for 2009. It once again gives us the opportunity to be able to support both experienced and talented young riders. It's going to be a really exciting year's racing, I can't wait for the commencement of the season."
Alistair Kennedy, North West 200: "We believe that the new partnership with Rob Mac Racing will benefit the North West 200 brand in terms of exposure, and will also enable Michael to continue to race at the top with every chance of success both on the roads and short circuits."
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