We caught up at the Krämer stand at Motorcycle Live, with Owen looking to capitalise on his Pirelli National Junior Superstock Championship 2023 win with his a fresh ride for the 2024 season, a Krämer 890-GP2RR.
I'd met Owen before our chat in the congested halls of Birmingham's NEC. In the warmth of the Andalucia sun in early 2022, he had blitzed past me in 'Ronnie Mac 69'-themed leathers on his stock Yamaha R6. It's easy to think you're punching on a trackday until BSB talent apexes so effortlessly that you both admire and detest in equal measure. Owen was there for pre-season testing but that's a smidge formal for Team Smiler', where Owen's family head out to ride in the sun for a few days and feast on Spanish steaks.
Back in the NEC, we add some more greasy fingermarks to the Krämer display bike and I ask Owen about his GP2 aspirations. "I can't wait to get stuck in because GP2 hasn't quite got the recognition that Supersport gets. I think I'd have to win outright on it to get the same recognition I would if I got a top three in Supersport. I'm super confident it can do, and that I can do on it. I can see good top-speed trap results as I'm only 60kg.
"I think it would be better for me to step through to British GP2 and Supersport and then straight to Superbike, because trying to win Superstock would be a little tricky against people like Billy McConnell and Alex Olsen. It would be a big transition from stock 600s and then racing against competitors who have been doing it for 15 years! I think I'd get more recognition when I'm beating people like Ben Currie and Luke Stapleford. It would be a bit surreal, but I think I'd enjoy it; in fact, I don't think I'd enjoy it, I definitely would!"
Denne historien er fra March 2024-utgaven av Fast Bikes UK.
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Denne historien er fra March 2024-utgaven av Fast Bikes UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Sensational Suzuki Live - Blending decades of motorcycles, racing legends, track time and a beer tent with a cracking band, Suzuki Live's formula proved a winner for the thousands there.
Blending decades of motorcycles, racing legends, track time and a beer tent with a cracking band, Suzuki Live’s formula proved a winner for the thousands there. As motorcycling events go, Suzuki Live's 2024 effort is surely set to take some topping. Held over two days at the iconic Cadwell Park circuit, the event played host to a list of two-wheeled legends and a mixed bag of iconic Suzuki machinery spanning five decades.
Steve Parrish
It's been a busy old month but so good being back in the thick of it. Despite the great British weather, it finally feels like summer is here, and I've been all over the place with some really great events since we spoke last month.
Christian Iddon
It's a long time since I had that feeling... 1057 days, to be precise, and if you were to ask if 'that day' was the day it would happen again, then I would have bet all my worldly belongings against it.
BOTH A CRIMINAL AND CIVIL CASE
There’s a time and place to lawyer up to the hills, and this is one them...
LONGTERMER KAWASAKI ZX-6R
Last month, I was gearing up to consign my ZX-6R to the back of my garage while I disappeared for the best part of three weeks to work at the TT with Batham's Racing.
YAMAHA WABASH RT
When you live a life of wheelies, burnouts and fast laps on race tracks, it's hard to spot a midlife crisis... but six months on in the saddle of Yamaha's Wabash e-bike, I daresay that's exactly where I'm at. I'll be honest, cycling isn't for everyone, and quite frankly, Lycra is even more polarising, but for me, life on two wheels, be it powered or pedalled, has formed my staple diet for as long as I can remember.
24 HOURS FLAT-OUT!
Ever fancied a crack at 24-hour endurance racing? You might think again after reading this...
PROJECT 37 A TEST OF TIME
Having got his head around the standard bike at Cadwell, Timmy heads to Powerslide Motorcycles with a wish list of improvements for the Suzuki GSX-8R...
'WHY WE GO RACING...5
Ever wondered why big brands spend big money and put in huge amounts of effort to go racing? Well, we did too, so we didn’t hesitate to ask the man who makes that call for Honda Racing UK...
9 BIKES WE WISH WERE STILL HERE...
No one’s worked out how to bring things back from the dead, but if we had our way, these are the bikes we’d oe see makingareturn.
