British Superbikes: Glenn Irwin confirmed as Honda rider for 2021
- Published
Glenn Irwin was a race winner at Snetterton in 2020
Glenn Irwin has been confirmed as one of Honda Racing's riders for the 2021 British Superbike Championship.
Irwin ended fourth overall, with a race win and five podium finishes, during his first season with the team in 2020 on board the new Honda Fireblade.
He will be joined in the team by Japanese rider Ryo Mizuno.
The Japanese manufacturer's BSB bid will be part of a new project between Honda Racing UK and Honda Motor Co Ltd, the Honda Superbike Challenge Program.
The new project will support racers competing in national championships worldwide, to take further steps in their racing careers.
Joining forces with Honda's head office in Japan, the programme will see Honda Racing UK's participation in the British Superbike Championship sit within Honda's global racing activities from MotoGP, World Superbike and the All-Japan Championship.
Mizuno brings a wealth of experience with him from the All-Japan series and the Suzuka 8 Hours but will be competing in the UK for the first time.
Irwin was a race winner at Snetterton in his first year with the team and will look to challenge for the title once again.
"I'm really happy to continue with Honda Racing and to carry on the development of the new Fireblade. 2020 was a really refreshing year that perhaps brought success earlier than I anticipated," commented Irwin.
"For 2021 we have extensive development to go through which for sure will improve our package further. That said, there won't be any room for complacency, we won't be making bold predictions from a results perspective.
"As a team we know from the work carried out over the winter, we have a strong base to continue developing the Fireblade.
"Working with Ryo is exciting in itself, with Ryo coming from a completely different racing background. I am excited to see how his feedback improves us."
The opening round of the British Superbike calendar has been rescheduled for Oulton Park on 29-31 May, four weeks later than originally planned.
A revised calendar for the series was issued by BSB organisers on Thursday.