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FIM WORLDSBK 2019 ENTRY LIST
A
head of the new Motul FIM
Superbike World Champion-
ship season, the provisional list
of entrants has been made public
announcing 18 riders set to line
up on the 2019 WorldSBK grid.
Alongside established names
of the category, many are the
emerging figures that will debut
in the new campaign, which will
begin on February 23-24 at Phillip
Island.
Jonathan Rea will defend his
2018 victory as well as hunting his
fifth consecutive title and with that
another new astonishing record.
As always, the Northern Irishman
will ride with the Kawasaki Racing
WorldSBK Team, alongside new
teammate Leon Haslam who had
already competed in WorldSBK in
the past.
A new duo will form the lineup
for the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati
team. Sharing the garage with
Chaz Davies will be Spaniard
Alvaro Bautista, who will debut
in the premier class aboard the
all-new Ducati Panigale V4 R after
an extensive career spent in the
MotoGP paddock.
Alex Lowes and Michael van
der Mark will continue to ride for
the Pata Yamaha Official WorldS-
BK team. Other two factory-
supported Yamaha bikes will
be added to the grid with newly
crowned 2018 WorldSSP Cham-
pion Sandro Cortese and Italian
star Marco Melandri riding aboard
the two bikes run by the new GRT
Yamaha WorldSBK Team.
Also 2018 STK1000 Cham-
pion Markus Reiterberger will
move over to WorldSBK, form-
ing a duo with Tom Sykes in the
new partnership between Shaun
Muir Racing and BWM Motorrad
WorldSBK.
2019 will see the comeback of
another illustrious name as Japa-
nese Ryuichi Kiyonari will join the
new Honda Corporate supported
Moriwaki – Althea Honda Racing
team alongside Leon Camier.
Another new Honda rider is Ital-
ian Alessandro Del Bianco (Althea
MIE Racing Team) who will debut
in WorldSBK at the age of only
21.
Independent Kawasaki riders
Leandro Mercado (Orelac Verd-
Natura) and Toprak Razgatlioglu
(Turkish Puccetti Racing) will stick
with their 2018 teams while Jordi
Torres will compete with the ZX-
10RR of Team Pedercini Racing.
Michael Ruben Rinaldi will race
full-time in the top category with
the Ducati of the Barni Racing
Team, while Eugene Laverty will
be in the saddle of Team GoE-
leven's new Panigale V4 R.
To see the complete list of
entries, click here. CN
