Xavi Forés will make his debut in the Bennetts British Superbike Championship next season after signing for the Honda Racing team.
Forés makes the switch from World Superbike after losing his spot at Barni Racing to Michael Ruben Rinaldi. This was despite the former European Superstock and IDM Superbike champion having an impressive campaign, which saw him capture the Independent Championship on his privateer Ducati.
The 33-year-old ended the 2018 season seventh overall, with five podiums to his name. Forés has also competed in MotoGP as a wildcard on a number of occasions.
On his move to the British championship, an excited Forés commented:
“I am excited to come to England and race in British Superbikes! I have always watched the racing and it looks like a fantastic series with a great fan base. To have the opportunity to race in the UK and ride new circuits excites me and I’m looking forward to the challenge. Thank you to Honda for this opportunity and I can’t wait to get started!”
Forés completes a new look Honda team, and will line-up alongside Andrew Irwin next year. Team manager, Havier Beltran, is delighted to have his new team together:
“We are delighted to welcome a rider with Xavi’s experience and pedigree to the team. Xavi had an impressive season in World Superbikes finishing seventh and collecting numerous podiums in a competitive series. This now completes our full team line up for next season in both Superbikes (Xavi Fores and Andrew Irwin) and Superstock (Tom Neave) and we can’t wait to get going with both testing and the 2019 season.”
Forés and Irwin will get their hands on the Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade for the first time in Spain next month, with an extensive testing programme in place before the new season.
The first round of the 2019 season takes place at Silverstone over the Easter Weekend (April 19-21).
