Bimota back in World Superbike?

Bimota and specialist racing tuning house Alstare have announced a partnership which will see Alstare create a new global racing department for Bimota in its Belgian headquarters.

Alstare’s research and development will include working on Bimota’s Moto2 bikes and the BB3, which shoehorns a BMW S 1000 RR engine into Bimota’s classic steel trellis frame. In addition, Alstare will begin the process of developing Bimota’s new sports and supersport models.

Alstare will also provide technical support to all official Bimota teams worldwide, together with the supply of parts for track use.

Alstare is also a brand-building and communications company, so it will also use its expertise to help build the Bimota name worldwide.

But with Alstare’s established World Superbike roots – it has collaborated with the likes of Suzuki, Aprilia and Ducati – there’s no doubt that it would be looking to resume hostilities in the championship with Bimota down the track – with the BB3 the perfect machine to make that happen.

Bimota was a founding World Superbike marque in 1988 with Davide Tardozzi and Stephane Mertens, and continued the following year with Giancarlo Falappa and American Mike Baldwin.

In 2000, Australia’s Anthony Gobert (pictured) was at the helm of a factory Bimota in the WSBK title, and even won a stirring race at Phillip Island in patchy conditions – a shrewd tyre choice getting him over the line. But after that the campaign turned sour and the parties had dissolved their relationship by season’s end.

Bimota was founded in 1973, in Rimini, by Valerio Bianchi, Giuseppe Morri and Massimo Tamburini and celebrated its 40th anniversary last year. It was also last year, in September, that Swiss pair Marco Chiancianesi and Daniele Longoni bought Bimota with the intention of rejuvenating this prestigious and famous marque.