British WorldSBK Race Winners of Yesteryear
EXCITING CONTENT
CAL CRUTCHLOW - 3 WINS Now retired , they say , Crutchlow arrived in WorldSSP from the UK like a lovable rogue , causing trouble , writing headlines for fun and winning races for even more fun . WorldSSP Champion in 2009 , he was straight into WorldSBK the year after , and having won races there he was straight off to MotoGP™ in 2011 . He doesn ’ t hang about the boy , on or off track . His MotoGP™ years were never dull , often patchy but quite simply brilliant at times . Having now called time on his MotoGP™ race career he spends time with his young family , living between his various bases , and for a day job testing MotoGP™ machines for Yamaha .
TERRY RYMER - 2 WINS Too-Tall-Tel ’ as he was nicknamed was not too tall to become Britain ’ s first ever WordSBK race winner , in New Zealand way back in 1989 , and then again at the same track the year after . Rymer went on to race everything and anything two wheeled , winning the Endurance World Championship , but he retired at a quite early 32 from two wheeled competition . Voluntarily , mostly . Rymer even raced cars professionally for a short time , winning British and International GT races , and then went truck racing for MAN , proving podium capable in the European Championship . “ Then I had to grow up and get a real job , I guess !” joked Rymer . He then went to work for bike accessory and clothing company Moto Direct for five years , then went to Pirelli as sales in the UK Southern region , and then he got into the building trade . He is still doing that , with ongoing projects now . Also the way he was also team manager for the JG SpeedFit Kawasaki Team ( Haslam , Hickman and Ellison ) and also managed the small scale Diablo666 EWC team , taking a podium along the way at Oschersleben . He ’ s been busy that Rymer guy . “ I don ’ t like being a one-trick pony ,” Rymer explained . “ I have got to diversify a little bit and do different things . I think there is a timescale for everything . I love motorbikes but when I am not involved , work-wise , with motorbikes I tend to enjoy them even more . Funny that , isn ’ t it ?”
SHANE BYRNE - 2 WINS Two stunning wins at his home track of Brands Hatch while a BSB rider in 2003 were key factors in ‘ Shakey ’ trying his hand at international race , in WorldSBK and MotoGP™ , before returning to BSB to become its greatest champion - six times . He is now a regular WorldSBK commentator for British Eurosport . A serious but thankfully not catastrophic spinal and neck injury during a testing crash in May 2018 ended his career . Or has it ? “ The honest truth is that it is in some ways not my decision at the moment ,” said Shane . “ It feels incredibly frustrating . These last three years for me have felt like what the lockdown has felt for everybody since Coronavirus . We are all kind of sitting and waiting for somebody to say , yes , it is going to be all right - or not . Since I was old enough to remember , all I have ever wanted to be was what I was fortunate enough to be , a motorbike racer . No single aspect of that has changed . Yes , I go to tracks and work for Eurosport and I enjoy that . On the crappy days , when the weather is bad , and the track looks a bit iffy , I am quite happy to be stood behind the camera . But on the days when the sun is shining I just want my doctor to say , “ OK , we ’ re going to take the metalwork out , let ’ s see if everything still works and functions .” It would be my call then . It is a tricky one really . But I honestly think that short of you cutting off my arms and legs , I would still want to try , one way or other , to get back on a bike . I feel incredibly fortunate to be where I am right now but I feel incredibly frustrated as well .” Watch this space .
JAMES WHITHAM - 1 WIN Few riders have had a career and a life story in general to match James Whitham . His single race win at the outdoor steambath of Sentul in 1994 do not reflect his true capabilities but his ability to overcome the many challenges life has thrown at him are the stuff of life-affirming legend . A survivor of Hodgkins ’ Disease , a form of Lymphatic cancer that has gone away and then come back and now gone away again . One long term side affect is that James has just recently had to lose an eye . All through all these medical traumas and personal challenges , James is still the same James as ever . Hard , big hearted - and Yorkshire . British Champion before BSB as we know it was invented , he is also a landlord , a producer of bike cleaning products , magazine columnist and occasional tester , the eponymous owner of specialist race training company , and still a much sought after TV commentator for WorldS- BK and BSB . Whitham knows no other way than to be too busy . The ultimate surviver after several health scares , and yet still so witty and insightful in conversation that it is impossible to listen for 30 seconds without him making you laugh . He may be the greatest living example of getting up again after being knocked down . “ I do commentary , pretty much always for Eurosport , trackday training and although you do not make a fortune it is some extra income and I really like the idea of still staying sharp by going round tracks on powerful motorbikes ,” said Whitham . “ I have realised that I am never going to be a millionaire , but then again it is probably because I did not work hard enough !” In that final statement , he is not being truthful , because he is always , always doing something related to work or motorcycles . For fun now , he loves restoring old bikes , especially twostroke race bikes .
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