Bike it Cosworth Yamaha UK set for 2010

Recently Bike it Cosworth Yamaha UK were happy to unveil their new colours and formation to the press and associates at the Cosworth facilities in Northampton. The FIM World Championship Motocross team, one of the leading British squads in the Grand Prix paddock, have formed a technical alliance with the mighty Cosworth firm that has stretched and still reaches most high-profile motorsport disciplines.

After two years as ‘Utag Yamaha’ the team will now revert back to their title sponsor’s main branding ‘Bike it...’. The union with the company has been alive and healthy since 1996 and the distinctive red logo will again appear on the Yamaha YZ250F machinery after several seasons helping to launch the Utag product. The bikes will adopt a radical look with a predominantly black livery.

For 2010 the crew will rely again on the talents and ferocious speed of American Zach Osborne. The 20 year old won the 2009 Grand Prix of Turkey (the only victorious Yamaha rider of the season), the third round of the FIM series, before unfortunately sustaining an injury at the next meeting in Portugal that blighted the rest of the campaign. Osborne has been training diligently over the winter period with former Bike it Yamaha rider Kenneth Gunderson and is now in excellent shape for his objectives of international and domestic success.

‘I’ve been putting in so much effort this winter for the 2010 season. I have taken on Kenneth Gundersen as my mentor/trainer and we are working really hard to be 100 percent prepared for the first Grand Prix,’ Osborne revealed. ‘I’m excited to get things started because I know I will do well and surprise a lot of people. I hope to just be in the top five in every moto and be going for wins on a weekly basis. Knowing the preparation I did last year compared to this year I think it is certainly within my reach to be at the front of the class in 2010.’

‘I’m happy that Steve came to an agreement with Cosworth,’ he also remarked. ‘I think they are a world class company with endless capabilities and I’m sure it will be a great asset to our program.’

British teenager Mel Pocock will embark on his second term with the team after some impressive showings and noteworthy rate of improvement in 2009. The 17 year old will be looking to establish himself as a top ten Grand Prix runner while expecting to fight for podium finishes on home soil. New additions for the coming year include Edd Allingham (who will contest world and British series) and Jason Dougan (focussing on the British Championship with select GP appearances).

For Team Manager Steve Dixon 2010 marks not only the appearance of several fresh faces in the team’s dark shade but also the promising relationship with Cosworth as well a new sponsor in the form of Energy shot Wild Wolf.

‘With Cosworth taking up the challenge to provide the team with engine development, parts and technical support we are looking good to take on the factory teams in the MX2 World championship,’ he said. ‘They will produce a lot of parts for the engine and will continually develop the units to ensure our riders will be at the front of the pack. We are really pleased to have them with us and we are looking forward to some excellent work together.’

‘Wild Wolf is a Spanish company and they are very enthusiastic about the team and our image fits perfectly with the launch of their Energy shot into the UK market in a few months time,’ Dixon added. ‘For us it is also great to stay with Yamaha UK, they have been very supportive. I have over 25 years experience with Yamaha and it is great to have had a long partnership with such an innovative and dynamic company. We are happy to retain all our 2009 technical sponsors, which is fantastic because we have built up good relationships with them.’

‘In these tough times we have come out with a far superior package both technically and financially,’ he concluded. ‘We have been able to invest in many things for the future because I still have long term goals for the team. For 2010 I believe we have a decent chance that Zach can go for the world title, MX2 is very competitive but Zach has beaten them all before so it is up to us as a team to help him do it again.’

Bike it Cosworth Yamaha will engage in the fifteen rounds of the FIM Motocross World Championship starting in Bulgaria on Easter weekend and travelling to Italy, Holland, Portugal, Spain, UK, France, Germany, Latvia, Sweden, Belgium, Czech Republic, and Brazil over the following five months. Interspersed in their international ambitions will be the 2010 Maxxis British Championship and eight meeting across the breadth of the UK.

The first outing for the team will take place at the Little Silver circuit in Exeter for the opening round of the British contest on February 28th. Following more testing, the squad will head to Mallory Park for the second round of the national series.