Centurion Racing have now signed 2006 125 British Champion, Daniel Cooper, to ride alongside his former 125 team-mate James ‚ Westy Westmoreland for the 2007 season in the British Supersport series.
The decision, which releases Pete Spalding from his contract with Centurion Racing, follows three tests at Jerez, Cartagena and Valencia, after which it was decided that the team needed riders with potential and total commitment to hopefully take Centurion Racing to the top spots of the grid in the 2007 season.
In a statement about the change of line up, Centurion s Race Manager Gary Stubbington said: ‚ “We know that James has the capability and commitment to really stretch himself and hopefully give the top riders in this race a run for their money this year. Dan was last season s 125 winner and has certainly shown his potential. Both riders are hungry for the podium spots. These guys live and breathe racing, and understand the effort going on behind the scenes by the whole team to help get them where they want to be. We re sorry to let Pete go and wish him the best for the future, but we want to concentrate our efforts on those we think are 100% dedicated and focussed on the task in hand for 2007, and are likely to be the most promising riders for the future. ‚
Paul Rees, General Manager of Centurion Racing said: ‚ “We had a good first season, but this year we re looking to build on the high professional standard the team achieved in 2006, and we hope this year to take our new riders to top grid positions and hopefully podium places on a regular basis. I m very excited about the new line up, and we re looking forward to a concentrated team effort to put Westy and Dan up there with the best of them. ‚
18-year-old Westy, from Hull, will compete in the Supersport Cup Championship running race number 27 and his new team-mate Cooper will run in the main Supersport Championship with the race number 20. The 19-year-old from Stroud is very excited about the new prospect saying ‚ “I was sat at home when I got the call from Centurion, who flew me out to Spain the same night for a two day test on the Honda 600. I m really grateful that they have given me this opportunity as I was struggling to find myself a decent ride this year. I m looking forward to working with Westy again and hope that I can get the team the results that they deserve. ‚
As the team head into their final pre season test day tomorrow (Wednesday 21st March) at Valencia, they are feeling happy and confident with two new riders for the season opener at Brands Hatch, Kent on Easter Weekend.
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