In the Media: Where will Melandri, Laverty and Sykes be in 2019?
Three multiple WorldSBK race-winners could be on different machinery in 2019
As the 2018 season of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship slowly comes to a close, with just three rounds remaining on the calendar, the question on everyone’s minds is: who will be on the 2019 grid? Several seats have been confirmed, including those of the three leading teams in the championship, but the future of many other riders remains unresolved.
In this week’s paper edition of Motorcycle News, the weekly publication comments on several WorldSBK rumours circling the paddock. 2013 World Champion Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) will leave behind his Kawasaki machinery after nine years, and he won’t face a lack of options for 2019, with Red Bull Honda and Shaun Muir’s team both on the table. Eugene Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia) reportedly faces the same choice as Sykes, with the Irishman making it clear that he wants to clear his future sooner rather than later: “I want something signed by Magny-Cours”.
Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) is another world champion without a seat for 2019. The Phillip Island double winner made his debut in WorldSBK on a Yamaha bike, and he could return to the Japanese marque eight years later should GRT, currently in World Supersport, make the move to WorldSBK, according to MCN.
There’s still a lot to fight for in 2018 however, and you can watch it all thanks to WorldSBK VideoPass.
