The ninth round of the 2014 British Superbike Championship will take place at Donington Park this weekend with Honda Racing’s Julien Da Costa returning for the second of his four BSB wild card entries for Honda Racing. The Frenchman will compete in both Superbike races aboard the special-livery ‘Urban Tiger’ CBR1000RR Fireblade unveiled at Snetterton earlier this year.
The ‘Urban Tiger’ tribute is the first of three special BSB liveries planned for the 2014 season. Da Costa will showcase the designs at Donington Park, Silverstone and the final Brands Hatch round as he continues to take part in the development programme for the CBR1000RR Fireblade ahead of Honda’s planned full-time return to the British Superbike Championship in 2015.
The eye-catching ‘Urban Tiger’ paintwork was originally introduced on the CBR900RR Fireblade in 1994 and became an iconic design still much revered by Fireblade fans. Ten years later, the livery is making a comeback with selected Honda dealers offering a limited-edition version of the 2014 CBR1000RR Fireblade in the same stunning design as Da Costa’s BSB machine.
The 2014 Fireblade features an upgraded cylinder head and exhaust, plus revised PGM-DSFI settings boosting top-end power and mid-range torque. The ‘Urban tiger’ model also features a special edition Akrapovic exhaust and is available now, priced from £13,299 OTR. Contact your nearest Honda dealer for more information.
Da Costa – who secured a fifth-place finish at Snetterton in June – will compete in both Sunday’s Superbike races at Donington Park, while his Honda Racing team-mates Jason O’Halloran and Freddy Foray will continue their Superstock 1000 campaigns aboard the tri-colour Honda Racing CBR1000RR Fireblade SP.
Be sure to follow us on our Facebook and Twitter channels for all the BSB and Honda Motorcycles action throughout the year. You’ll also find out all about the #UrbanTiger first, by following the hashtag.