Neil Hodgson

When Neil Hodgson clinched the Superbike World Championship title in 2003 on the Fila Ducati 999 at the age of 30, the British rider already had a lengthy career on the track behind him. He had in fact already raced in a variety of championships that included British Superbike, World 125cc as well as a full year in 1995 in the premier 500cc world championship.

The following year he joined World Superbike but had a frustrating three-year period there before returning to BSB in 1999 to restart his career and boost his confidence. He took the title with a privateer GSE Racing Ducati in 2000, highlighting that performance with two brilliant wins in the British rounds of the WSBK championship at Donington and Brands Hatch.

Hodgson and the GSE Racing Ducati team then moved full-time into World Superbike in 2001, and Neil added another British win to his trophy case that year at Donington.

In 2002, Bayliss (Ducati) and Edwards (Honda) were dominant in WSBK, although Neil took pole positions on route to third overall. After the top two left for MotoGP, Hodgson became the number one rider for the factory Ducati team in 2003, dominating with the brand-new 999 and winning the title against teammate Ruben Xaus.

A one-year spell in MotoGP in 2004 with Ducati’s second-string squad, D’Antin Ducati, was bereft of satisfaction and Neil decided to accept an offer from Ducati to move to the USA to try to become the first rider to win three Superbike titles, British, World and American. Hodgson however only came sixth in the first year and then finished the 2006 AMA Superbike Championship in fifth place in his final appearance in official Ducati colours.

Hodgson now divides his time between the Isle of Man, where he lives, and working as a motorcycle racing commentator/TV studio pundit and road racing track-day instructor.

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