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Speed Dating: November 16 – 22
November 17, 2009 by Matt Coffey
Filed under Speed Dating
November 16
Former World Supersport rider Yoann Tiberio (FR) was born on this date in 1986. Tiberio finished second in the 2005 European Superstock 600 championship, moving to Supersport the following season. Tiberio ran a limited Superbike and Supersport schedule in the following seasons, ending 2008 in the Superstock 1000 category. This year, Tiberio has competed in French national Conti cup events.
November 17
Soichiro Honda (JP) was born on this date in 1907. A mechanic by trade, Honda began experimenting with small engines attached to bicycles after World War II. He formed Honda Motor Company in 1948 and within a year began production of a motorcycle of his own design, the Dream D-type. In 1959, the Honda racing team entered its first major international event, the Isle of Man TT. Two years later, Honda won both the 125 and 250cc TT events. Honda retired as president of Honda Motor Company in 1973, but remained an adviser to the company until his death in 1991.
Kurtis Roberts (US) turns 30 on this date. The youngest son of three-time 500ccc World Champion Kenny Roberts, Kurtis was the 1999 and 2000 AMA Formula Xtreme Champion and the 2000 AMA Supersport Champion with Erion Honda. Roberts has since competed with limited success in World Superbike and Grand Prix racing. Roberts entered thirteen rounds of the 2007 MotoGP season with Roberts Racing, scoring a best finish of twelfth.
Happy birthday to Tom Kipp (US), who turns 41 on this date. The 1992 AMA 600cc Supersport champion, Kipp went on to win the AMA 750cc Supersport title in 1994, 1995, and 1999.
Helmut Bradl (DE) was born on this date in 1961. Bradl spent his Grand Prix career in the 250cc class, finishing a career-high second in the points with Honda in 1991. His son Stefan currently competes in the 125cc category and finished the 2009 season tenth in the points.
Former AMA racer Akira Tamitsuji (JP) was born on this date in 1977. Tamitsuji raced for the Corona Extra Suzuki AMA Superbike team in the 2006 season and for Matsushima Suzuki the following year.
November 18
Happy birthday to Jimmy Filice (US), who was born on this date in 1962. Filice began his career on flat tracks, taking AMA Flat Track Rookie of the Year honors in 1981. He went on to a successful career in 250cc Grand Prix road racing, taking a victory in the 250cc World Championship at the Laguna Seca round in 1988. Filice went on to win the AMA 250cc GP Championship in 1991, 1993, and 2001. Today, Filice continues to compete with Pair-A-Nines Racing in the AMA MotoGT championship. The team finished second in the 2009 GT2 standings.
Steve Rapp (US) was born on this date in 1972. The 2007 Daytona 200 winner, Rapp spent 2008 with Attack Performance Kawasaki in the AMA Formula Xtreme class, finishing third in the final standings. 2009 saw Rapp move to the Daytona Sportbike class, where he finished tenth in the points riding for Pat Clark Motorsports Yamaha.
Steve Rapp - Riles/Nelson photo
Happy birthday to Tom Halverson (US), who turns 50 on this date. The team manager of the Yamaha AMA Superbike team, Halverson has been with Yamaha for two decades. Alongside his manager duties, Halverson also served as Ben Bostrom’s crew chief during the latter part of this past season. After a very successful 2009 season, during which team rider Josh Hayes took seven wins, Yamaha USA recently announced that Yamaha’s future AMA Pro Road Racing efforts will be managed by the Graves Motorsports team.
November 19
Eric Bostrom (US) turns 32 on this date. The 2001 AMA Supersport Champion spent the 2007 and 2008 seasons with Yamaha in the AMA Superbike series, finishing fourth in the 2008 final standings. Bostrom did not race in 2009, and instead spent time at property he recently purchased in Brazil.
Eric Bostrom
November 20
Happy birthday to Neil Hodgson (UK), who was born on this date in 1973. The British rider won the 2000 British Superbike Championship with GSE Racing before moving to World Superbike in 2001. In 2003, Hodgson was hired by the factory Ducati squad and took the World Superbike title that same year. Hodgson then moved to the AMA Superbike series, riding for Ducati in 2005 and 2006 and then—after sitting out most of 2007—with American Honda the past two seasons (the latest one in Corona colors). Hodgson will return to the British Superbike Championship in 2010 with the Motorpoint Yamaha team.
Neil Hodgson - Riles/Nelson photo
Alvaro Bautista (ES) was born on this date in 1984. Bautista won the 2006 125cc World Championship with MVA Aspar Aprilia and was the 2007 FIM Rookie of the Year in the 250cc class. The Spanish rider ended his 2009 season with two wins in the 250cc class, taking fourth place in the final standings. Bautista moves to the MotoGP class in 2010 to partner Loris Capirossi at the Suzuki factory team.
Alvaro Bautista - Andrew Northcott photo
November 21
Scott Parker (US) turns 48 on this date. The flat track racer won nine AMA Grand National Championships, including five straight between 1994 and 1998. Parker ended his career with ninety-four national wins, retiring after his final Springfield Mile victory in 2000.
Sidecar racer Dave Molyneux (UK) was born on this date in 1962. Molyneux has amassed fourteen Isle of Man wins in the sidecar class, taking his most recent victory with passenger Andy Smith at this year’s meeting.
Joan Olive (ES) turns 25 on this date. The Spanish rider entered the 125cc World Championship in 2001. With the exception of two uneventful years in the 250cc class in 2003 and 2004, Olive has spent his career on 125cc machines, and he finished sixteenth in the 2009 season standings riding for the Derbi team. Olive will make a switch to the Moto2 class in 2010, where he has been signed to Antonio Banderas’ Promoracing team.
November 22
Czech rider Lukas Pesek (CZ) was born on this date in 1985. Pesek competed for four years in the 125cc World Championship before moving to the 250cc class with Auto Kelly-CP Aprilia in 2008. Pesek ended the 2009 season fifteenth in the 250cc championship, and has yet to confirm a ride for 2010.
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Uhm, Alvaro Bautista was born on November 21st, not 20th…
You’re right, “nope.” Thanks for the heads-up. We’ve changed our master list and will get that right next year.