STEFAN BRADL SIGNS TWO-YEAR CONTRACT WITH HONDA MOTOR EUROPE FOR WORLD SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP
After eleven years racing in Grand Prix, Bradl will see himself to switch the series joining the world’s largest manufacturer in motorcycle production for their official team in FIM World Superbike Championship.
A corresponding agreement for the 2017 and 2018 season was sealed earlier this week. The 26-year-old German will ride alongside former MotoGP Champion Nicky Hayden in Honda’s official team for the World SBK series. The team is run by the experienced Ten Kate outfit from the Netherlands. In this autumn Honda will present an all-new CBR1000RR Fireblade Superbike which is the base for next year’s race bike. In this context Honda is to homologate an increased version of this bike.
After winning the Moto2 crown in 2011, Bradl made the step to the premier class MotoGP with LCR Honda where he was racing from 2012 to 2014. At halfway stage of last year’s season, he then moved from Forward Racing into Aprilia as factory rider in Aprilia Racing Team Gresini. Bradl claimed 19 podium finishes in total so far, including seven grand prix victories (two in 125cc / five in Moto2) and a second place in MotoGP. During his career in MotoGP, Bradl finished 46 times in total in the top ten thus far. But now he is looking forward to a new challenge in racing.
#6 Stefan BRADL:
“I am very happy that I will ride for Honda in World Superbike in 2017 and I really look forward to this new challenge. It was definitely not an easy decision to leave the Grand Prix Paddock after all these many years to change the series. But I see a good chance for me to compete successful with the Ten Kate Team and the highly professional environment of Honda in the Superbike championship. It certainly will bring an exciting affair to develop this project with the new Honda CBR1000RR superbike to a competitive and successful level. The team features cool staff which means the same for my team mate Nicky who, as you may know, did this step already at the beginning of this season. I think, we will be a great combination. In any case, I look forward to this collaboration with him and with the Ten Kate Team. I am highly motivated for this project and I really can’t wait to start it. But first, the target is to finish the current season decently.”