Haga Joins Byrne At Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki Reigning MCE Insurance British Superbike Champions Paul Bird Motorsport (PBM) have signed Japanese star Noriyuki Haga to contest the final three rounds of the 2013 Championship. The former triple runner-up in the World Superbike Championship will join MCE British Championship leader and defending champion Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne on board a Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki ZX-10R for all three Showdown rounds, starting at Assen this coming weekend. Having won 43 WSBK races in a distinguished career, Haga raced in BSB last season and despite suffering a broken collarbone at Cadwell Park, bounced back late in the season to claim eighth place in the final standings. Earlier this season, Nori-chan took a third place podium finish at the prestigious Suzuka Eight Hours race in his native Japan alongside former 500cc World Champion Kevin Schwantz. Haga will get his first taste of the Minxflix-supported Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki ZX-10R in a test at Snetterton en route to Assen and will also be in action on the bike at familiar tracks to him including Silverstone (October 4/6th) and the Brands Hatch GP circuit finale (October 18/20th). Paul Bird, Team Owner: “I have always admired Nori throughout his career and it’s fair to say he’s one of my heroes so I’m delighted to have the chance to work with him. He’s proven many times that he’s a great rider and showed at the tracks he knew last year that he could still be very competitive. He was on pole position at Assen last year and rode a couple of brilliant races so despite not doing a lot of racing this year, he’ll be very strong. He loves all three Showdown tracks and if he can also help Shakey’s bid for the title, all well and good.” More information including bike, team and rider profiles, race calendar etc can be found at www.pbmuk.net. The official website of the 2013 MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship is at www.britishsuperbike.com. More, from another press release issued by Cartersport Media on behalf of Paul Bird Motorsport: Keith Farmer – Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki Further to the recent announcement that Noriyuki Haga would be joining the Paul Bird Motorsport (PBM) team aboard the Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki ZX-10R for the final three rounds of the 2013 MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship, the team wishes to clarify the situation regarding Keith Farmer. For a number of weeks now, Keith has suffered from a debilitating illness which has affected his performances on track. As a result, Keith has sought and continues to seek medical advice and has undergone tests whereby a diagnosis is expected soon and a programme of treatment can commence. As well as being in contention to retain their MCE British Superbike Championship crown with Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne, the team is contractually bound to field two riders for the remainder of the season so a combination of Keith’s illness, combined with the extra pressure to perform in the Showdown, whereby they felt it would be unfair to him, led to the team making the decision to engage the services of Haga. Contrary to speculation, Keith Farmer remains a member of the Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki team and will do so for the remainder of the 2013 season. Should Keith and the team deem him fit enough to race in any of the remaining MCE British Superbike Championship rounds this season, upon clearance from the BSB medical team, a third Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki would be made available for Keith to race. If he’s unable to race again this season at BSB level, another option being considered by the team is to field Keith in an end of season non-championship meeting of his choice whereby the physical demands and performance expectations may be somewhat reduced. More information can be found at www.pbmuk.net. The official website of the 2013 MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship is at www.britishsuperbike.com.