The
National Superstock Championship
The exciting and closely fought Superstock Championship is run
within the British Superbike series (BSB), the leading motorcycle
racing championships in the UK, which is now recognised as a major
marketing medium for motorsport. BSB is the most dynamic domestic
championship in the world, and in an arena where big business
and exceptional standards go hand in hand, it has become the perfect
platform for young talent and the brand exposure achieved by team
sponsors is second to none. The sheer excitement has not only
attracted record crowds to the various circuits, but more importantly
held them at high levels. Without a doubt, these championships
are a dominant force, with many riders going on to race in World
Superbikes or MotoGP. Races are covered live by terrestrial and
satellite TV channels. The grids usually consist of more than
30 riders, on production based bikes from all the major manufacturers.
In 2006, several class championships went down to the final round
in front of a capacity Brands Hatch crowd, with a reported 1.5
million live TV viewers. With increased media appeal during 2007,
the series continued to attract major sponsors, who gain important
exposure from their involvement in the sport.
Power, passion, thrills and glamour.
Add to that high speed, closely fought racing and top personalities
and you have the winning formula that is the British Superbike
Championship.
Banzai's
Blog
Rhys
'Banzai' Boyd
has been racing motorcycles since 1986 and enjoyed early success
at clubmans level, winning the Honda Hotshots Championship in
his first season of racing. Race victories and championship
wins in the 250cc Production class followed and Rhys earned
himself the tag 'banzai' boyd through his flying starts and
was quickly filling the trophy cabinet. He went on to perform
well in the Sound of Thunder Championship and the CB500 Cup
where he remembers a titanic battle with James Toseland in a
race at Oulton Park. Rhys also had rides on a VTR 1000 and at
the time became the only rider in the UK to have put this type
of bike on the podium. In the late nineties, Rhys contested
at the NorthWest 200 in Ireland and also claimed several victories
in the Honda Hornet Cup Championship. The 2001 season saw Rhys
struggle in the Sports Production Championship on a self-financed
Yamaha R1 and the following year, rode for the Legs11 Superstock
team. A lack of funding and a big crash at Brands Hatch forced
Rhys to miss the next two seasons, but he was back racing in
2005, and with the backing of Pink Express, competed in the
Superstock Cup class. He claimed several podium finishes and
set fastest laps during a tough season, riding the now infamous
'pink bike'. The 2006 season was always going to be a testing
time for all concerned, but with the usual Rockforge Racing
mentality, the whole team stuck to the task at hand and through
all of the highs and lows of the year, Rhys battled to the end
and finished the season in a very respectable tied ninth place
in the Cup Championship. A new year and the 2007 racing season
brought new challenges for Rhys and the team, with the usual
race to gain financial support and last minute decisions to
be made. 2007 saw Rhys concentrating efforts on sustaining Rockforge
Racing's presence in the paddock and everyone in and around
the team gave their all. This year sees a return to the seat
for Rhys, competing in the Superstock Championship, supported
by Pink Express. For a look at Rhys' career achievements, go
to our round-up page.
 
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