Pata Yamaha Superstock 1000 Cup rider Riccardo Russo will step up to the World Superbike Championship next season with the Guandalini squad.
The Italian endured a tough season in the Superstock series thanks to injury. However, he did manage a podium finish at the Lausitzring in Germany in September and finished the season on a positive note with two sixths in France and Spain, taking ninth in the championship standings. Russo will trade his STK 1000 Yamaha for a full-blooded WorldSBK-spec YZF-R1 next season.
“I am very happy to be part of the World Superbike Championship next season because I believe it is right to enter the new category with the best team,” he said. “I had the chance to do another year in STK1000 for Yamaha, but I want to thank Andrea Dosoli trusting that I could make the step up to the top category.
“I also want to thank Mirco Guandalini for this opportunity and I hope that we can show Yamaha that we deserve all the support they give us and more. Making predictions about next year is difficult at this point, but for sure I will try to do my best, I will try to get as much experience as I can, but I am already familiar with Yamaha so I am feeling positive.”
Team Manager Mirco Guandalini makes his return to the WolrdSBK having previously run a team in the series with Ducati and Aprilia machinery. The team achieved podium success between 2008 and 2010 courtesy of Jakub Smrz. Guandalini has set his sights on finishing the 2017 season as top private entrant, though has admitted that this will be a tough ask.
“It’s with great pleasure that we have reached this agreement with Riccardo,” he said. He is a rider that I’ve worked with this past season and I respect him very much for his different qualities and he is a fast racer. It will not be easy considering the competitiveness of the Championship; our goal is to be the best private team. We are working to prepare the best package for Russo to do his best.”
Comments.
Loading comments…