Camel Honda Announce Riders

[f1manoz]

The Camel Honda team announced its rider line-up today for the 2005 MotoGP World Championship.

The Camel Honda team, led by former double-World Champion Sito Pons, finished third in the 2004 Team Championship and for the forthcoming season welcomes into its ranks two new riders: Brazilian Alex Barros and Australian Troy Bayliss.

With the incorporation of these two highly experienced and successful riders, the Camel Honda team will look to consolidate its position over recent years as one of the top teams in the championship and make a concerted effort to win the World Title. Both riders will be riding the yellow Camel Honda RC211Vs on Michelin tyres.

Troy Bayliss, World Superbike Champion in 2001, joins the Honda family after two years competing in the MotoGP World Championship with Ducati. The Australian from Taree has scored 4 MotoGP podium finishes in that time, although a maiden MotoGP victory has so far eluded him. His aggressive style and personable nature has made Troy an extremely popular rider both inside and outside the circuits and he enjoys a massive following around the world. Troy will be assisted by Santiago Mulero, Head Technician and Ramón Aur�*n, Telemetry Engineer.

Alex Barros makes a welcome return to the team led by Sito Pons. Alex rode for four seasons with the Honda Pons team from 1999 to 2002, during which time he won 5 GPs and scored 14 podium finishes. He is one of the most experienced riders in the paddock, with over 240 GPs to his name, and he will be looking to call upon his wealth of experience and knowledge in his quest for the 2005 World Title. Alex will continue to work alongside Ramón Forcada, his Head Technician for the 2004 season, and with whom he worked throughout his previous time with the Honda Pons team, and Lluis Lleonart, his Telemetry Engineer.

Sito Pons:
“After two highly successful seasons the Camel Honda team now moves up a gear with the incorporation of two highly gifted and experienced riders. With Alex and Troy leading the charge, I am confident that the yellow Camel Honda bikes will be constantly battling for the leading positions in every race. I would like to thank Honda, Camel, Correos and the other team sponsors for their constant support and whilst we clearly have a lot of hard work ahead of us this winter, I am confident that this exciting new project will bring much success to everyone concerned once the 2005 championship gets underway in April in Jerez.”

Roberto Zanni
(JT International – Worldwide marketing and sales Senior Vice-President)
“For the third consecutive year, the prestigious Camel brand will take part in the MotoGP World Championship. The thrilling exploits of the Camel Honda team will continue in earnest in 2005, with a brand new line-up. We welcome our two new riders, Troy Bayliss and Alex Barros, to whom I wish a season full of satisfaction and success. I would like to thank Honda for lending their support once more, and for having contributed to the continuity of our MotoGP project. I am certain that the RC211V, our team, and our riders will hold the Camel name up high next season, on the long and challenging road that is the MotoGP World Championship.”

Great news for Troy Bayliss after being unceremoniously dumped by Ducati, who he served loyally for many years. Riding a Honda next year should help Bayliss regain that consistency and confidence in his riding.

For Barros, probably a return to a team he should never really have left in the first place as he was enjoying great success with the team before his ill-fated journey to Yamaha.