Press Release: Michael Laverty returns to the Relentless Suzuki by TAS team determined to take them to title glory in the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship in association with Pirelli.
The rider from Toomebridge in Northern Ireland is no stranger to success having won the British Supersport crown three years ago and Laverty has another champion, Alastair Seeley, as his team-mate.
They will provide a formidable challenge, with Seeley eager to continue the dominant form that saw him romp to last season’s National Superstock title with nine consecutive race victories.
The season ahead of them promises to be one of the toughest, with the buoyant series having already confirmed factory backed riders with Honda, Kawasaki and Yamaha teams, but Laverty, who is back on the domestic scene full time after sorties into American Superbikes and World Supersport last term is ready to take on all-comers.
"I’m delighted to be back and I really think we can have a great season,” said 28 year old Laverty who among others will have to beat the in family threat of his older brother John who rides for Buildbase Kawasaki.
“I have raced against him, and all of the boys before apart from Yukio Kagayama and Josh Brookes and I believe that we have the chance to shine – there is no clear favourite for the title, with all to play for and with factory parts we have a really strong package to fight for the title.
"I know that the team have made some real steps forward over last year and I come back to familiar territory, knowing the tracks and the whole of the TAS team which has stepped up a notch from when I last raced it in BSB in 2008,” added Laverty.
Seeley is equally enthusiastic, having experience two outings in the top flight at the end of last term following on from his Superstock glory with the team: "It is a great opportunity for me to move up to Superbike. The team have a testing programme in place and it looks like that will kick off in March so now I am training hard with cardio and boxing to get myself in the best possible fitness before we begin testing.”
For both of them, the TAS team will be providing the latest factory specification bikes in a strong challenge to become the first Suzuki powered champions in the country’s premier race series since 2004, but to acheive that they will have to overcome the sizeable threats posed by Worx Crescent Suzuki riders Tommy Hill and the returning force of Kagayama.
HM Plant Honda boast the return of their double champion Ryuichi Kiyonari alongside Brookes while Motorpoint Yamaha have former British and World Champion Neil Hodgson in their ranks together with Dan Linfoot. MSS Colchester Kawasaki have Simon Andrews and Superbike Cup winner Gary Mason while the Buildbase team have John Laverty and Adam Jenkinson.
Stuart Easton, one of only three riders to beat last year’s champion Leon Camier, spearheads the Hydrex Honda challenge while the experienced Michael Rutter is back for more with Riders Ducati.
The action begins at Brands Hatch on Easter Monday, 5 April, with the title decided over 26 races held at a dozen rounds on the country’s leading circuits.
