Castrol Honda confirm return

The name of Castrol Honda is to return to the Superbike World Championship this year after the lubricants firm confirmed its return to major motorcycle racing sponsorship.

The Castrol Honda team won the Superbike World Championship in 1997 with John Kocinski and in 2000 and 2002 with Colin Edwards when it was based in Lincolnshire.

For 2011 the team, which will be run by Ten Kate Racing in Holland, will have riders Jonathan Rea and Ruben Xaus contesting the World Championship.

Carl Fogarty, who won the world title four times, and two-time winner James Toseland have also raced for Castrol Honda.

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Honda's future UK plans in doubt following F1 pull-out

Last week's announcement that Honda have pulled out of Formula 1 racing has led to speculation about the Japanese giant's future plans, both in terms of sporting involvement and vehicle production.

Despite figures from the Motorcycle Industry Association (MCIA) showing that bike sales have steadily increased since August, the economic downturn has put jobs at risk across the motoring industry.

Honda recently revealed that workers at their Swindon production plant have had their hours reduced in an effort to avoid redundancies, while staff at the Brackley, Northamptonshire plant (closely linked with the F1 team) have been hit harder, as they have been told to expect some lay-offs towards Christmas.

Neil Tuxworth, head of Honda Racing, told the BBC on Friday that Honda will continue to be involved in the 2009 British Superbike season, with Glen Richards and Josh Brookes lined up to race for the team.

Ducati launch Streetfighter and other 2009 models at EICMA

The 2008 International Motorcycle Exhibition (EICMA) kicks off today near Milan, Italy, and Ducati have used the occasion to launch three new models for 2009, as well as a re-design of their logo.

The previously-announced new Monster 1000 range was on show, together with the Superbike range, which includes the lightweight 848, the new 1198, the high-spec 1198 S and 1098 R, and a limited edition 1098 R Bayliss model, which marks the retirement of current World Superbike champion Troy Bayliss.

The climax of the catwalk display was the unveiling of the aptly-named Streetfighter, a model that has been in development for three years. Promising 155hp of L-Twin power in a super-light Trellis frame, the Streetfighter is an impressive model that has already been ear-marked as a candidate for best bike in the show.

There's a great report from the launch with pictures over at Bikes In The Fast Lane.