Vickers in for Haslam at Pedercini WorldSBK

BSB racer Ryan Vickers will make his WorldSBK debut with TPR Team Pedercini at Most, in the Czech Republic.

Fresh from a disappointing Brands Hatch which saw Vickers crash out of the first two races before being ruled out due to injury in the final clash, the 23-year-old will have a crack at the world stage this coming weekend as he subs for Leon Haslam at the satellite Kawasaki team.

Haslam was expected to complete his third wildcard of the season at the Czech round but has been requested by Kawasaki to fly to Suzuka in Japan early, in preparation for the Suzuka 8-Hour event. “I’m really excited about this weekend to be joining Team Pedercini Racing for a wildcard opportunity at Most,” Vickers said on the announcement. “It’s always been a goal of mine to eventually race in World Superbike and to get this little taster is amazing, so a big thank you to Lucio, Guim and everyone else involved.

“Also thanks to Faye Ho for allowing me to take this opportunity! I’m going to enjoy this weekend and learn as much as I can from the experience. See you in Most”

“We are sorry that we cannot run with Leon as planned in the Czech Republic but fully understand his obligations with Kawasaki in relation to the Suzuka 8 Hour event,” Team owner Lucio Pedercini confirmed. “We are part of the Kawasaki family and if Leon can help them in Japan we will be very happy.

“We are however excited to welcome young British rider Ryan Vickers to the team for #CZEWorldSBK. He has shown good pace in BSB and we look forward to working with him in Most - a circuit that should suit a rider coming from BSB. It has been very easy to reach an agreement due to the fact that Ryan is very motivated for this opportunity and is helped by Roger Burnett, with whom I