Castrol has confirmed its return to the World Superbike Championship today, revealing the return of its iconic colours to the sport with Honda.
Netherlands-based Ten Kate Racing outfit will campaign two Castrol Honda CBR1000RR Fireblades, to be ridden by Jonathan Rea and Ruben Xaus in the 2011 world championship.
It will be the eighth-consecutive season that Ten Kate Racing has led Honda’s World Superbike effort.
While Castrol has maintained support of Honda’s World Superbike championship campaign in recent years, 2011’s deal sees them return as the naming-rights sponsor having previously supported title winners in John Kocinski (1997) and Colin Edwards (2000 and 2002).
Castrol’s sponsorship manager Donald Smith says the synergies between World Superbike racing and its products are a perfect fit.
“Castrol are delighted to join Honda once again to see the return of the famous Castrol Honda World Superbike team to racetracks around the world,” Smith said.
“Motorcycle racing provides Castrol with the ultimate environment to test and develop our advanced Castrol Power One technology and the Castrol Honda World Superbike team provides a powerful and exciting platform to demonstrate the performance of our Castrol Power One products.”
Honda Motor Europe’s racing operations manager Carlo Fiorani says that he expects the rebranded team to achieve wins in 2011.
“We are absolutely thrilled that Castrol has shown this level of faith in Honda and its World Superbike championship team,” he said.
“We are really looking forward to the 2011 season and to achieving even more wins under this famous racing banner. It’s great to have an such an iconic motorsport brand as title sponsor for the team and, personally, I think the Castrol Honda CBR1000RR race machine looks absolutely fantastic.”
See below for video of Colin Edwards at Donington on his Castrol Honda in 2000
