Neil Stuart Hodgson is a former
BritishThe British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
motorcycle racerMotorcycle sport is a broad field that encompasses all sporting aspects of motorcycling. The disciplines are not all "races" or timed-speed events, as several disciplines test a competitor's various riding skills.-Motorcycle racing:...
who won the 2000 British Superbike Championship, and the
2003 Superbike World ChampionshipThe 2003 Superbike World Championship season was the 16th F.I.M. Superbike World Championship season. The season started on March 2 at Valencia, and finished on October 19 at Magny-Cours after 12 rounds....
titles. Neil then went on to have a moderately successful 4 years in the American Superbike Championship, with a best 5th place championship finish. Neil has since returned to the British Superbike Championship on the Motorpoint
YamahaYamaha may refer to:* Yamaha Corporation, a Japanese company with a wide range of products and services** Yamaha Motor Company, a Japanese motorized vehicle-producing company...
for the 2010 season. However On the 22nd April 2010 Hodgson announced that he was retiring from British superbikes and competitive motorcycle racing, due to the shoulder he injured in a motocross accident during the previous AMA season. Hodgson then aggravated the injury in the first round of the British Superbike Championship at
Brands Hatch IndyBrands Hatch is a motor racing circuit near West Kingsdown in Kent, England. First used as a dirt track motorcycle circuit on farmland, it hosted 12 runnings of the British Grand Prix between 1964 and 1986 and currently holds many British and international racing events...
.
Early and personal life
Hodgson was born in
BurnleyBurnley is a market town in the Burnley borough of Lancashire, England, with a population of around 73,500. It lies north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Brun....
and lived there and in
NelsonNelson is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Pendle in Lancashire, England, with a population of 28,998 in 2001. It lies 4 miles north of Burnley on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal....
and
ColneColne is the second largest town and civil parish in the Borough of Pendle in Lancashire, England, with a population of 20,118. It lies at the eastern end of the M65, 6 miles north-east of Burnley, with Nelson immediately adjacent, in the Aire Gap with two main roads leading into the Yorkshire...
,
LancashireLancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
during his early life, attending Ss Thomas Fisher & John More RC High School. He was 6 when he started riding his brother's bike around playing fields in Brierfield near his grandma's home. Hodgson has a daughter Hollie-Jean and son Taylor. He lives in Onchan on the
Isle of ManThe Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
. His hobbies include motocross, trails and mountain biking. He supports
Burnley F.C.Burnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888...
.
Youth
A
schoolboyA student is a learner, or someone who attends an educational institution. In some nations, the English term is reserved for those who attend university, while a schoolchild under the age of eighteen is called a pupil in English...
motocrossMotocross is a form of motorcycle sport or all-terrain vehicle racing held on enclosed off road circuits. It evolved from trials, and was called scrambles, and later motocross, combining the French moto with cross-country...
rider from 1982 through 1989, and was voted Rider of the Year in season 1986-87. Hodgson made the leap to
road racingRoad racing is a general term for most forms of motor racing held on paved, purpose-built race tracks , as opposed to oval tracks and off-road racing...
on Easter Sunday 1990 at the meeting at Langburgh, on a
Yamaha TZR125, is a Japanese motorized vehicle-producing company. Yamaha Motor is part of Yamaha Corporation and its headquarter is located in Iwata, Shizuoka. Along with expanding Yamaha Corporation into the world's biggest piano maker, then Yamaha CEO Genichi Kawakami took Yamaha into the field of motorized...
. His first win was at the
Three SistersThree Sisters Recreation Area is located in Bryn, near Ashton in Makerfield, Greater Manchester, England.The area was reclaimed from three coal mining spoil tips during the 1970s and now comprises a large area of woodlands and ponds. It has become a flagship example of brownfield regeneration in...
meeting in that same year. He came 8th in his first season in the British Clubman’s Ministock. In 1992, he moved to the 125cc International Supercup, and became British National 125cc Champion aged 18. He was then selected to compete in the
FIMThe Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme is the governing body of motorcycle racing. It represents 103 national motorcycle federations that are divided into six regional continental unions....
World 125cc Championship as the youngest rider in the series and Britain's only representative in the class with Team Burnett, placing 24th in the Championship. In 1994, he was selected by
HRC Hondais a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than...
as one of only five officially supported riders in 125cc World Championship with Team Burnett. He took part in two 500cc World Championship races for the
HarrisHarris Performance Products are a British motorcycle racing and parts manufacturer.-Background:The family-run company Harris Performance Products Limited is based in Hertford...
-
Yamaha, is a Japanese motorized vehicle-producing company. Yamaha Motor is part of Yamaha Corporation and its headquarter is located in Iwata, Shizuoka. Along with expanding Yamaha Corporation into the world's biggest piano maker, then Yamaha CEO Genichi Kawakami took Yamaha into the field of motorized...
team.
500cc GrandPrix and WSB: the first attempt 1995-1998
In 1995, he moved full time to 500cc World Championship with
WCMWorld Championship Motorsports was a grand-prix motorcycle racing team formed in 1992 by Bob MacLean and Peter Clifford. The team ran Yamaha motorcycles from to . They were sponsored by Red Bull for to and were called Red Bull Yamaha WCM....
, developing a reputation for being a smooth but impetuous rider who crashed a lot - he came 11th in the Championship.
For 1996, he moved to the
Superbike World ChampionshipSuperbike World Championship is the worldwide Superbike racing Championship. The championship was founded in . The Superbike World Championship season consists of a series of rounds held on permanent racing facilities...
(aka 'WSB') with Ducati, and this began a frustrating three-year spell in the series, the latter two years with
FuchsFuchs Petrolub AG is the world's largest independent manufacturer of lubricants, and related speciality products. The company's headquarters are at Mannheim, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, where the company was founded in 1931.-Fuchs products:...
KawasakiKawasaki Heavy Industries Motorcycle & Engine is a division of Kawasaki Heavy Industries that produces motorcycles, ATVs, utility vehicles, jet ski personal watercraft, and general-purpose gasoline engines. Before the 2011 fiscal year it was called Consumer Products & Machinery...
. 9th was Hodgson's best championship finish in this era. His first podium came at Laguna Seca in 1996.
British Superbikes 1999-2000
For 1999, he returned to the British Superbike Championship (BSB) with GSE Racing, and spent the season re-establishing himself on a superbike and regaining his confidence. His team mate at GSE Racing
Troy BaylissTroy Bayliss is a retired Australian motorcycle racer. During his career Bayliss won the Superbike World Championship three times, as well as the British Superbike Championship and a MotoGP race, all with Ducati. He finished his career after winning the 2008 World Superbike title...
took the British Superbike title. 2000 saw one of the most titanic battles British Superbike had ever seen, as Hodgson battled
Chris WalkerChris Walker is a British motorcycle road racer. His nickname is The Stalker. He is a four-time runner-up in the British Superbike Championship, and a former race winner in the Superbike World Championship....
who was riding the Suzuki, all season long. Hodgson clinched the title at the final round at
Donington ParkDonington Park is a motorsport circuit near Castle Donington in Leicestershire, England.Originally part of the Donington Hall estate, it was created as a racing circuit during the pre-war period when the German Silver Arrows were battling for the European Championship...
when in the final race with only a few points in it, Walker's Suzuki's engine blew, allowing Hodgson to take the title. He also won two races of the British rounds of the
Superbike World ChampionshipSuperbike World Championship is the worldwide Superbike racing Championship. The championship was founded in . The Superbike World Championship season consists of a series of rounds held on permanent racing facilities...
that year as a 'wildcard' entry - one at Donington Park and one at
Brands HatchBrands Hatch is a motor racing circuit near West Kingsdown in Kent, England. First used as a dirt track motorcycle circuit on farmland, it hosted 12 runnings of the British Grand Prix between 1964 and 1986 and currently holds many British and international racing events...
. The most memorable race of Hodgson's British Superbike title winning year was at Oulton Park, when he started at the back of the grid, and ended up winning the race in breathtaking style, much to the amazement of the British crowd and his fellow competitors.
Return to WSB 2001-2003
GSE Racing stepped up to the
Superbike World ChampionshipSuperbike World Championship is the worldwide Superbike racing Championship. The championship was founded in . The Superbike World Championship season consists of a series of rounds held on permanent racing facilities...
series full-time for 2001, with
HodgsonHodgson is a surname. In Britain, the Hodgson surname was the 173rd most common in 1881 and the 206th most common in 1998. In the United States of America, Hodgson was the 3753rd most popular surname in the 1990 census.-Origin and Meaning:The surname authority P. H...
joined in the Ducati satellite team by up and coming
EnglishEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
rider
James ToselandJames Michael Toseland is a former English motorcycle racer. Toseland was the World Superbike Champion on a Ten Kate Honda, who also won the Superbike World Championship on a Ducati. He is one of only two men, the other being Troy Corser, to have won the Superbike World Championship for two...
. Hodgson was a race winner and 5th overall that year, while in 2002, Bayliss and
Colin EdwardsColin Edwards II nicknamed the Texas Tornado is an American professional motorcycle racer. He is a two time World Superbike champion and has competed in MotoGP since 2003, now riding for the Yamaha Tech 3 team in the 2011 season.-Early years:At the age of three, his Australian father, Colin...
were dominant, although Neil took
pole positionThe term "pole position", as used in motorsports, comes from the horse racing term where the number one starter starts on the inside next to the inside pole. The term made its way, along with several other customs, to auto racing. In circuit motorsports, a driver has pole position when he or she...
s en route to 3rd overall. After both Bayliss and Edwards left for MotoGP, Hodgson became the number one rider for the works Ducati team in 2003, winning the title against team-mate
Ruben XausRubén Xaus is a motorcycle road racer. He currently competes in the Superbike World Championship. For 2009, he joins the new factory BMW team, his first ever campaign in WSBK on anything other than a Ducati. He was runner-up in this series in 2003, and spent the next two years in MotoGP with mixed...
.
Neil Starred in a video called RIDE with EagleE and The Schlepp Riders also starring: Phil Greening, DJ Sassy, Princess the hit song maker of Say I'm Your No.1 fame in the 80's. Also featuring Jason Fin. Great Music even better bike stunts. UTUBE fans can enjoy this unusual move by Neil.
Return to GrandPrix racing 2004
For 2004, both Hodgson and Xaus went to Ducati's second-string MotoGP team, Team d’Antin Ducati. But the
powerIn thermodynamics, motive power is an agency, as water or steam, used to impart motion. Generally, motive power is defined as a natural agent, as water, steam, wind, electricity, etc., used to impart motion to machinery; a motor; a mover. The term may also define something, as a locomotive or a...
delivery of the
DesmosediciDucati Desmosedici is the name of the series of four-stroke V4 Prototype Motorcycles developed by Ducati to compete in the MotoGP World Championship. GPx indicates the version of the bike, where x corresponds to the year the bike raced .- Background :Ducati abandoned the Grand Prix racing scene at...
was extreme compared to a WSB Superbike, and the team had limited sponsorships and funds to run a test programme. Resultantly, Hodgson never felt he had the bike set up like he ever wanted it to be, while Xaus's natural extreme style appeared to get more out of the machine. Xaus ended up as rookie of the year, while a disillusioned Hodgson came 17th in the championship.
American Superbike 2005-2009
Hodgson at the time vowed never to return to MotoGP, stating that a combination of his age and nationality was now against him, and he would never be offered the best machinery capable of competing let alone winning. Having shown loyalty to Ducati throughout his motorcycle racing experience, the question now was where to place him. Ducati had a 'works' team focusing on making
Régis LaconiRégis Laconi is a French professional motorcycle racer. In he competed in the Superbike World Championship for DFX on a Ducati. He was runner-up in , and has won races in both 500cc and the Superbike World Championship.-Early career:Régis has a French mother and Italian father...
the next WSB champion, and Hodgson didn't want to return to the
Superbike World ChampionshipSuperbike World Championship is the worldwide Superbike racing Championship. The championship was founded in . The Superbike World Championship season consists of a series of rounds held on permanent racing facilities...
in a satellite team, or to British Superbikes. Resultantly, with the stated aim of becoming the first rider to win all three Superbike titles of 'British', 'World' and 'American', he moved to into the less-prestigious
American Motorcyclist AssociationThe American Motorcyclist Association is an American not-for-profit organization of more than 300,000 motorcyclists that organizes numerous motorcycling activities and campaigns for motorcyclists' legal rights...
(AMA) championship in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
for 2005 - he came sixth to
Mat MladinMathew "Mat" Mladin is a retired Australian professional motorcycle racer who last raced for Yoshimura Suzuki in the AMA Superbike series...
. Hodgson finished the 2006 AMA Superbike Championship in 5th place.
Ducati pulled out of the AMA Superbike Championship for at least the 2007 season, and Hodgson failed to obtain another ride as the 2007
Superbike World ChampionshipSuperbike World Championship is the worldwide Superbike racing Championship. The championship was founded in . The Superbike World Championship season consists of a series of rounds held on permanent racing facilities...
opened. Hodgson was linked to joining
YamahaYamaha may refer to:* Yamaha Corporation, a Japanese company with a wide range of products and services** Yamaha Motor Company, a Japanese motorized vehicle-producing company...
France from round 3 onwards, and to a temporary ride for
Suzukiis a Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Hamamatsu, Japan that specializes in manufacturing compact automobiles and 4x4 vehicles, a full range of motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles , outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a variety of other small internal combustion engines...
in WSBK. On 11 April he was confirmed as a test and development rider for Ducati, replacing the injured Shinichi Ito.
RizlaRizLa+ , known in English as Rizla is a brand of rolling papers and cigarette tubes or blanks in which tobacco is rolled or stuffed to form handmade cigarettes....
Suzukiis a Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Hamamatsu, Japan that specializes in manufacturing compact automobiles and 4x4 vehicles, a full range of motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles , outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a variety of other small internal combustion engines...
gave Neil a test on the team's Suzuki GSX-R1000 for tests of the bike taking place at
Cadwell ParkCadwell Park is a motor racing circuit in Lincolnshire, England, south of Louth. It is owned and operated by Jonathan Palmer's Motorsport Vision company....
, but despite speculation he was not intended to replace
Chris WalkerChris Walker is a British motorcycle road racer. His nickname is The Stalker. He is a four-time runner-up in the British Superbike Championship, and a former race winner in the Superbike World Championship....
.
He returned to the AMA Superbike Championship for one round at Laguna Seca on a
CoronaCorona Extra, better known as Corona and labeled as Coronita in Spain, is a brand of pale lager owned and produced by Cerveceria Modelo at a number of breweries in Mexico. It is one of the best-selling beers in Mexico and is one of the top-selling beers worldwide...
Honda, partnering
James EllisonJames Desmond Ellison is an English motorcycle racer. He is currently set to make a return to Moto GP for the 2012 season on a CRT bike for Paul Bird Motorsport. He is a double European Superstock champion, World Endurance champion and has previously raced in British Superbikes, World Supersport,...
, finishing fifth. At the
SachsenringThe Sachsenring racing circuit is located in Hohenstein-Ernstthal near Chemnitz in Saxony, Germany. Among other events, it features the annual German motorcycle Grand Prix of the FIM Grand Prix motorcycle racing world championship.- History :...
MotoGP round he was revealed to have rejected a chance to stand in for
Toni ElíasAntonio "Toni" Elias Justícia Antonio "Toni" Elias Justícia Antonio "Toni" Elias Justícia (born March 26, 1983 in Manresa, (Catalonia, Spain) is a professional motorcycle racer and inaugural champion of the Moto2 World Championship. He is the third member of the Elías family to compete in...
on a Gresini Honda at this race, as he thought that it would impact his chances of landing a full-time Superbike ride, probably with
Ten KateJan Jakob Lodewijk ten Kate , Dutch divine, prose writer and poet, was born at The Hague.He started in life as a lawyer's clerk...
Honda after an earlier speculated deal to ride for
Fogarty RacingCarl 'Foggy' Fogarty is the most successful World Superbike racer of all time in terms of the number of championships and number of race wins...
on an
MV AgustaMV Agusta is a motorcycle manufacturer founded in 1945 near Milan in Cascina Costa, Italy. The company began as an offshoot of the Agusta aviation company formed by Count Giovanni Agusta in 1923. The Count died in 1927, leaving the company in the hands of his wife and sons, Domenico, Vincenzo,...
dissipated. On 5 September 2007, Honda America announced that Hodgson would race for them in the 2008 AMA Superbike season, riding the new
FirebladeThe Honda Fireblade is a family of sport motorcycles manufactured by Honda since 1992. The first model was designed by Tadao Baba.*CBR900RR, 1992–1995*CBR919RR, 1996–1999*CBR929RR, 2000–2001*CBR954RR, 2002–2003...
.
In 2008, Hodgson came 6th in the AMA Superbike Championship, picking up 2 3rd place finishes at
Miller Motorsports ParkMiller Motorsports Park is an auto, motorcycle, bicycle and kart racing facility located in the unincorporated Erda area just outside Tooele, Utah.- The Track :...
. These were his best results of the season, towards the end of the season Hodgson became more inconsistent collecting low scores in 1 race of every round from 8-10. Hodgson signed a contact to keep him with the
CoronaCorona Extra, better known as Corona and labeled as Coronita in Spain, is a brand of pale lager owned and produced by Cerveceria Modelo at a number of breweries in Mexico. It is one of the best-selling beers in Mexico and is one of the top-selling beers worldwide...
Honda team for the 2009 season.
In 2009, Hodgson started the season off strongly with a second place finish at the
DaytonaDaytona may refer to:* Daytona Beach, Florida* Daytona Beach Shores, Florida* South Daytona, Florida-Motor racing:* Daytona Beach Road Course* Daytona International Speedway, a NASCAR speedway, which hosts:** the Daytona 500 NASCAR race...
circuit. Hodgson then had an accident in training on a
motocrossMotocross is a form of motorcycle sport or all-terrain vehicle racing held on enclosed off road circuits. It evolved from trials, and was called scrambles, and later motocross, combining the French moto with cross-country...
bike, causing him to suffer a
collapsed lungPneumothorax is a collection of air or gas in the pleural cavity of the chest between the lung and the chest wall. It may occur spontaneously in people without chronic lung conditions as well as in those with lung disease , and many pneumothoraces occur after physical trauma to the chest, blast...
and a
dislocated shoulderA dislocated shoulder occurs when the humerus separates from the scapula at the glenohumeral joint. The shoulder joint has the greatest range of motion of any joint in the body and as a result is particularly susceptible to dislocation and subluxation. Approximately half of major joint...
causing him to miss the next 3 rounds. Hodgson would eventually finish 11th on 167 points.
Return to British Superbikes 2010
Hodgson confirmed that he would be returning to British Superbikes for the 2010 season, with Motorpoint Yamaha alongside youngster Dan Linfoot.
On the 22nd April 2010 Hodgson announced that we was retiring from British superbikes and competitive motorcycle racing, due to the shoulder he injury he picked up in a motorcross accident during the previous AMA season. Hodgson then aggravated the injury in the first round of the British Superbike Championship at
Brands Hatch IndyBrands Hatch is a motor racing circuit near West Kingsdown in Kent, England. First used as a dirt track motorcycle circuit on farmland, it hosted 12 runnings of the British Grand Prix between 1964 and 1986 and currently holds many British and international racing events...
. Hodgson was replaced in the Motorpoint Yamaha team by
Ian LowryIan Lowry is a motorcycle racer who has spent much of 2010 without a ride.-Moving to racing:A former chef, Lowry started off in the British Supersport class in 2006...
.
Support for charity
Hodgson is a patron of the
National Association for Bikers with a DisabilityThe National Association for Bikers with a Disability or NABD is a Registered Charity in the United Kingdom and in Scotland. The NABD gives technical advice and financial grants to help to adapt motorcycles, sidecars and trikes for use by disabled riders. It also gives advice on training and...
.
World Superbike Championship
| Year |
Make |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
13 |
Pos |
Pts |
| R1 |
R2 |
R1 |
R2 |
R1 |
R2 |
R1 |
R2 |
R1 |
R2 |
R1 |
R2 |
R1 |
R2 |
R1 |
R2 |
R1 |
R2 |
R1 |
R2 |
R1 |
R2 |
R1 |
R2 |
R1 |
R2 |
| 2002 The 2002 Superbike World Championship season was the 15th F.I.M. Superbike World Championship season. The season started on March 2 at Valencia, and finished on September 29 at Imola after 13 rounds....
|
Ducati |
SPA
6 |
SPA
5 |
AUS
5 |
AUS
4 |
RSA
5 |
RSA
4 |
JPN
4 |
JPN
3 |
ITA
2 |
ITA
4 |
GBR
3 |
GBR
6 |
GER
Ret |
GER
8 |
SMR
3 |
SMR
4 |
USA
5 |
USA
3 |
GBR
2 |
GBR
3 |
GER
3 |
GER
3 |
NED
Ret |
NED
4 |
ITA
4 |
ITA
5 |
3rd |
326 |
| 2003 The 2003 Superbike World Championship season was the 16th F.I.M. Superbike World Championship season. The season started on March 2 at Valencia, and finished on October 19 at Magny-Cours after 12 rounds....
|
Ducati |
SPA
1 |
SPA
1 |
AUS
1 |
AUS
1 |
JPN
1 |
JPN
1 |
ITA
1 |
ITA
1 |
GER
1 |
GER
2 |
GBR
1 |
GBR
1 |
SMR
Ret |
SMR
2 |
USA
2 |
USA
2 |
GBR
2 |
GBR
5 |
NED
2 |
NED
1 |
ITA
2 |
ITA
4 |
FRA
1 |
FRA
Ret |
|
|
1st |
489 |
External links