World champion Guintoli moves to Honda in 2015

With the 2014 season over, the news is now official: Sylvain Guintoli, the new world No. 1 in Superbike, will join the Honda Pata team next year. The Frenchie will ride alongside Michael van den Mark, Supersport world champion…

Suzuki, Ducati, Aprilia and tomorrow Honda rider: Sylvain Guintoli can boast of being one of the most experienced riders in the World Superbike, a world championship he has just won in Qatar on the factory RSV4 (read them) !

"I’m still realizing what happened this season and especially last night, but I am delighted to join the Honda family and to reunite with Pata", declared this morning midday on waking up the new" Number One "of the discipline.

If the 32-year-old Anglo-Drôme driver has never raced on a Fireblade, he has indeed already donned the colors of the current title sponsor of the Honda team: "our last opportunity to work together had been unexpected but had been a successful partnership. I had offered Pata their first victories and we have a good relationship", recalls Sylvain (read our).

Barely titled, "Guinters" is already eager to discover his new bike: "Johnny (Rea, Editor’s note) has been strong on CBR throughout the season and has been very strong at times! So I think there is clearly a lot of potential with this bike and that the new regulations will work well for it.", analyzes the former Aprilia factory rider, a brand that has decided to focus its efforts on its comeback – winning? – in MotoGP.

In addition to his great experience, Sylvain will therefore bring with him the n ° 1 plate and will team up with another n ° 1, from Supersport this time: Michael van den Mark, who crushed the 2014 championship on a CBR600RR prepared by the same Honda Ten Kate team…

"Sylvain will be an ideal role model for Michael to learn to use his aggressiveness and sheer speed.", rightly believes Robert Watherston, sporting director of Honda Motor Europe."I think they are a great team for the development of the CBR1000RR Fireblade SP, as we are about to change the rules.", he also emphasizes.

Finally, for Ronald Ten Kate, the big boss of the eponymous team who had been riding Jonathan Rea for six seasons already (the No. 65 will be racing at Kawasaki in 2015), it is "the end of one era but also the beginning of another and I think 2015 will be a very exciting season for us".

"I am really delighted that we can welcome Sylvain to Pata Honda, so that he can race with Honda for the first time. He has an excellent track record and has had an exceptional season to catch up to a significant delay and claim the title this year.", recognizes Ten Kate.

"With Mikey on the other side of the garage, we will associate the youth with the experience and that is what every team manager is looking for. We have planned an intensive winter testing program and I can’t wait for the next season to beginThe goal is clear: to do as well as with James Toseland in 2004 !

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