---
title: "Haslam to wild-card with Pedercini Kawasaki in Qatar"
canonical: "https://readmotorsport.com/2016/10/20/haslam-wild-card-pedercini-kawasaki-qatar/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Lewis Duncan"
section: "SBK"
published: "2016-10-20T19:18:32Z"
modified: "2016-10-20T19:18:58Z"
---

# Haslam to wild-card with Pedercini Kawasaki in Qatar

2016 British Superbike Championship runner-up Leon Haslam will make a return to the World Superbike Championship at next weekend’s season finale in Qatar with the Pedercini Kawasaki squad.

The British rider left the World Championship at the end of last season after he failed to secure competitive machinery for this season, opting instead to race in Britain with the GBMoto team in BSB with whom he narrowly missed out on the title to PBM Ducati’s Shane Byrne at Brands Hatch last weekend.

Haslam is a five-time race winner in WSBK with Suzuki and Aprilia, winning the final race of the 2015 season at the Losail International Circuit. Next week’s Qatar round will be his first chance at riding the ZX-10R Kawasaki in WSBK trim, a prospect he is relishing but one he also knows won’t exactly see him setting the world on fire.

“I’m really excited to race with Kawasaki in Qatar, I’ve known Lucio (Pedercini, Team Boss) for many years and I am very happy to return to Losail where I won last year,” the rider from Ealing said.

“It’s also (going to be) interesting to try the full WSBK-spec Kawasaki as the BSB bike this year has been limited with the British Championship rules. Doha is always a fun track especially racing in the night.”

After battling hard in WorldSBK next weekend, Haslam will then dart off to Japan to contest the final round of the Japanese Superbike Championship. The Briton’s BSB team, GBMoto, announced at the weekend that they would be ceasing racing activity in 2017, and this has left Haslam seeking a ride for next year.