Since then, team manager Francis Batta has been burning the midnight oil working away at finding a suitable replacement. It’s been a difficult period for the Belgian based team, but now that the prospects are looking much better, Francis was relaxed enough to give an insight on the recent happenings.

Francis Batta :

“We were hit hard at the end of the 2007 season and it took a little while to regain our confidence. After a short while, we thought we had found a replacement for Corona Extra, but the new sponsor changed their mind at the very last minute - just as they were about to sign the contract.
For us this was a disaster! At that moment, the future was looking very bleak indeed and we were expecting the worst - that the company would be forced to close down completely. Already there had been a re-organisation and the people working on non-superbike projects had been forced to quit. Such a situation was a huge discouragement to our team, because we realised that the season was about to start and time was running out trying to find a new sponsor.

But Alstare people never give up : we all rolled our sleeves up and began to hunt for a new sponsor all over again. And, at last, one was found thanks to an acquaintance of Fonsi Nieto...so we are still in the "show".

At first, Pepephone.com was interested in becoming a co-sponsor, but we presented them with such an impressive proposal that they were convinced into becoming our main sponsor. We regard them as an innovative company, and one with whom we may build important synergies as we did in the past with Diesel, Foxhound or Corona.

During our difficult days we were still able to count on the support of our friends and fans, who never turned their backs on us, despite many attacks by our detractors. We especially have to thank Suzuki who have worked really hard with us all winter and have never doubted our abilities to maintain the highest standards of professionalism. Dark Dog have also confirmed their support and will be a co-sponsor of team Alstare in 2008 together with MEYLUNA - a important real estate Spanish group.

The good financial situation of our company allowed us to continue our work during the six months during which Alstare had nearly no revenue coming in. Even so, we managed to re-enforce our SBK squad in order to prepare for the new season at the top level - just as we have always done.

We have three excellent riders and, with their different racing styles, we can reasonably expect good results such as podiums and victories. We look forward to seeing them on the start grid and finding out if we made the right choice!”

Main sponsor :

Pepephone.com (Group Pepeworld)
Pepephone.com is the new Spanish “virtual” operator for cellular phones which provides mobile communication services using the Vodafone network. Changing the conventional laws of the mobile telephony market, Pepehone.com brings a young and funky image to the world of telecommunications.
Pepephone.com was launched in November 2007 and, together with Pepecar.com and Pepetravel.com, is the new brand of Pepeworld - a branch of the multinational Globalia group founded by Juan José Hidalgo.

Pepehone.com introduces the concept of ‘low fares services’ in the cellular telephony industry, as they maximise the reductions in costs - by billing only the calls actually made - but still offer a high level of customer service. Their philosophy is ‘no bargains’, ‘no giveaways’, ‘no surprises’… the customer only pays for what he or she uses.

Moreover when Pepephone.com users make a call, they can collect points which can be converted into other Pepe services such as car rental (Pepecar), travel (Pepetravel) and tickets for flights operated by Air Europa, the airline company of the Globalia Group.

Co-sponsors:

Dark Dog
Dark Dog was founded in Austria in 1995. After a three year test phase, the company finally launched its now famous energy drink in 1999. At the time, it was only distributed in Norway, but thanks to smart development policies, this small business gradually became the second leading energy drink worldwide - a truly global brand, with its products distributed in more than 25 countries.

If you're feeling a bit drained, a Dark Dog is just what you need. It contains Taurine (an amino acid which accelerates the body's ability to convert fat into energy-filled elements), Guaraná (a natural source of caffeine) and various vitamins. A Dark Dog is one of the most efficient ways to increase your performance, your vigilance and stimulate your metabolism.

Meyluna
Meyluna is a group of enterprises consisting of more than 10 companies including legal, financial and fiscal services as well as real estate, building, sales and promotion. Thanks to its efficient management, the solidity of its projects and the important targets gained, the Meyluna Group (founded by María Eugenia Yeregui Kinkel, Luis Fernando Linares Torres and José Ignacio Sánchez Baranda) achieves important goals and is an outstanding example in the Spanish business elite.
Among the members of Meyluna Group, AEDIFICAT is a company which creates and fully manages building projects. Their core business is the construction of urban or sports infrastructures - such as the Valleromano Resort in Estepona (Málaga) - as well as the real estate sales and promotion.

For more infos regarding our others partners browse on our "sponsors" web page.