Kyle Smith to make WSBK debut with Pedercini Kawasaki
British rider Kyle Smith will make his World Superbike debut in next month’s Mandalika round for the Pedercini Kawasaki team.
Smith will become the eighth different rider to pilot the squad’s solo Kawasaki ZX-10RR at the Indonesian track on November 12-13, and will also contest the following week’s season finale at Phillip Island.
The 31-year-old is a veteran of the World Supersport class, where he competed full-time from 2015 to 2019, winning three races, before moving to Spanish Supersport in 2020 and contesting British Supersport last year.
He returned to WSSP for 2022 but split with his VFT Racing Yamaha team following September’s Magny-Cours round.
“I am really happy to have the opportunity to race in world superbike with Team Pedercini,” said Smith. “The only time I have ridden a superbike was in World Endurance which is a different technical specification and so I am quite excited.
“I have also never ridden in Mandalika as I wasn’t there last year. I hope to learn from the experience and try to enjoy it and take it as it comes.
“I think Phillip Island will be a bit easier as I know the track, but I am ready for both events and looking forward to return to the World Superbike paddock.”
Pedercini split with its full-time signing Loris Cresson after the opening round of the season at Aragon, having already signed series veteran Leon Haslam for a series of wildcards.
Isaac Vinales, Alessandro Delbianco and debutant Ryan Vickers all made one-off outings after Cresson left the team, before Spanish youngster Oscar Gutierrez contested back-to-back races at Barcelona and Magny-Cours.
Local rider Marco Solorza was then recruited for the most recent round in Argentina, but could only manage a best finish of 21st.
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