BIMOTA FOR BONETTI IN RST CLASSIC SUPERBIKE
Italian style will grace the upcoming Manx Grand Prix, with TT regular Stefano Bonetti joining the Speed Shadows Racing Team to ride their stunning Bimota YB4 in the 4-lap RST Classic Superbike Race.
Twice a runner-up in the Classic Senior Race, Bonetti will ride for the team run by Dr Paolo Girotti – owner of Bimota Classic Parts – with the project having been undertaken a few years ago all with the aim of competing on the 37.73-mile Mountain Course.
Aided by a close collaboration with Arrow Exhaust and Gianfrancesco Bursi of Bursi Evolution, the team presented the project to classic racing enthusiasts earlier this year at the Misano Classic Weekend, with the bike coming through the on-track tests with flying colours.
It’s more than 30 years since the Yamaha-powered Bimota YB4 announced itself on the world stage with race wins in both the World Formula One and World Superbike Championships; Virginio Ferrari famously winning the former in 1987 as he finished the season four points clear of six-time champion Joey Dunlop.
The factory Bimota team switched to the inaugural World Superbike Championship the following year with Davide Tardozzi and Stephane Mertens narrowly missing out on the title, finishing third and fourth respectively and taking seven race wins and 15 podiums between them.
On Manx shores, many will recall the distinctive white and red Hein Gericke Bimota that was piloted by German Peter Rubatto to a seventh in the 1987 Formula One TT, but it was in 1988 when the Bimota YB4 enjoyed its most successful outing at the Isle of Man TT with no less than six machines on the grid.
The YB4 was highly competitive that year as all riders lapped at more than 113mph, with Geoff Johnson recording an excellent third place finish in the Senior Race as he lapped at 117.76mph. At the time, this made Johnson the fifth quickest rider of all-time.
However, the Bimota’s success was partially the reason that its stay at the top of the racing ladder was short-lived, as it inspired Yamaha to develop the OW01 in 1989. Lower in price, it quickly became the machine of choice in both domestic and world championships.
Bonetti will undoubtedly be aiming for a top ten finish in this year’s Classic Superbike Race as well as bettering Johnson’s best lap from 35 years ago.
A second Bimota YB4 will also contest the race with Sam West lining up for the Moto-hub.co.uk team with the Cheshire rider also in with a great chance of a top ten position.
