WSBK: Haslam Remains with Honda for Another Season

Leon Haslam will continue to compete for Team HRC alongside Alvaro Bautista in 2021.

The former BSB champion rode a consistent season and played a key role in the development that brought the Fireblade back on the podium.

With an unchanged line-up, the sights are set on continuity and a serious title assault for Honda.

Haslam spoke about his contract extension:

“To say I’m pleased about renewing my contract with Team HRC would be an understatement. This year has been difficult, with COVID-19 and limited test sessions, but I knew right from the start that this project has great potential. To have a second year in which to continue developing the Fireblade and working with the team is very important to me. I’m really confident that we can be fighting for the top steps of the podium in WorldSBK and that’s my ultimate goal; to work towards this with Honda and Team HRC is fantastic. I’m excited and can’t wait for the 2021 season to get underway.”

Leon Haslam

Haslam and Honda share an illustrious history that saw them collaborate in Grand Prix racing, WorldSBK and BSB.

Together they achieved runner-up spot in the national series in 2008 and a best overall finish of sixth in the world championship in 2009.

Since reuniting with the Japanese manufacturer in 2020, Haslam’s experience and versatility has become an important asset to HRC’s factory comeback to WorldSBK. He topped the first public test that the all-new CBR1000RR-R SP took part in and contributed to the development work that saw HRC return to the podium.

Haslam’s best finish aboard the Fireblade is a fourth place at Aragon.

HRC President Yoshishige Nomure commented on the done deal and the goals for next season:

“We are pleased to announce that Leon Haslam will remain a part of our Team HRC factory squad for another year. Leon is an experienced and highly motivated rider who has strongly committed to our WorldSBK project since joining Honda at the end of 2019. He’s been working hard with the HRC engineers to exploit the full potential of production model CBR1000RR-R SP Fireblade despite all the limitations and challenges posed by the globally unsettling COVID-19 pandemic.

Confirming our rider line-up will bring continuity to our project and allow us to continue along our growth path in the most important production-based Championship. We are confident that we have the potential to win races as well as the title and we will continue to work towards this goal.”

Yoshishige Nomure

Honda and Kawasaki are the only factory teams on the grid to go into 2021 with an unchanged rider line-up.