Tamada And Scassa To Return To World Superbike Paddock

Moto2 is not the only class whose entries continue to grow. To the 23 riders already included in the provisional entry list for World Superbikes can be added two more: Makoto Tamada and Luca Scassa. Tamada has been signed by the Pro Ride Honda team run by Marco Nicotari, at least according to reportsy by the Italian website BikeRacing.it. Scassa, meanwhile, is to be part of a new Ducati effort going by the name of Team Supersonic, according to GPOne.com.

The two men have one thing in common, both having ridden a Kawasaki in 2009, Tamada for Paul Bird's factory-backed PBM Kawasaki effort, while Scassa rode the privateer Pedercini Kawasaki effort. However, there the similarity ends. Tamada is a former MotoGP racer and winner, whose victories on Bridgestone tires laid the foundation for the tire manufacturer's later success. Tamada's career has suffered since switching first from Bridgestone to Michelins, and then later from MotoGP to World Superbikes, finishing the championship last year in 27th place. Tamada's ride at the Pro Ride Honda team has been made possible by Speed of Japan, a rider management and marketing agency who run several racers, including Yukio Kagayama.

In contrast, Scassa's career is still on the rise. The 26-year-old Italian had some success in the Superstock 1000 series, finishing 4th in the 2006 Superstock 1000 standings. He has been less successful in World Superbikes, but is due to ride an ex-Haga Ducati 1198 for Team Supersonic, providing some of the best material the Italian has had in his career. The team has received a pair of these bikes from Ducati, and was intending to race a two-man team from 2011, but leapt at the opportunity to enter a year early with Scassa.

This bumps the World Superbike entry field up to 25, and possibly 26 if the Team Supersonic effort finds another rider to go alongside Scassa. Given the fragile state of the economy, the World Superbike grid is starting to look surprisingly healthy.