WorldSBK move for BSB Champion Ray confirmed with Motoxracing
The reigning British Superbike Champion, Bradley Ray, will debut in WorldSBK next season with the Motoxracing Yamaha team.
Yamaha has announced that Bradley Ray will join the Motoxracing WorldSBK Team for the 2023 season.
Bradley Ray will move up to WorldSBK in 2023 with the Motoxracing squad after only one year with Yamaha in the British Championship, replacing Roberto Tamburini in the Italian squad.
![Bradley Ray, 2022 Donington BSB. - [credit: Ian Hopgood Photography]](https://cdn.visordown.com/styles/img_600/s3/field/image/raydon_0.png?itok=0k3c4C4h)
It was certainly a strong debut campaign with the R1 for Ray, who won the title in convincing fashion.
Moving up in 2023 to the World Championship, Ray will become the third reigning British Champion of the last five to race full-time in WorldSBK, after Leon Haslam in 2019 and Scott Redding in 2020.
Admittedly, it will not be a full campaign for Ray. His season will not start until round three in Assen, which suggests he will only compete in the European rounds of the championship. In a way, this is unsurprising, because Motoxracing competed only in the European rounds in 2022, with Tamburini.
Bradley Ray said: "After what's been an incredible debut year with Yamaha in the UK delivering nine wins and 23 podiums in part one of my career quest to become British Superbike Champion, I'm absolutely delighted that Yamaha have rewarded me with this opportunity to take the next step with the Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team.
“I've dreamed of being World Superbike Champion since my race debut at three years old and I'm only too aware that it wouldn’t be possible without the support of a manufacturer like Yamaha and the team I have around me.
“I'm very keen to get started in WorldSBK and hope to follow in the footsteps of many of the successful Brits in the championship. It's time to take aim for that next title, step by step!”
Andrea Dosoli, Yamaha Motor Europe Road Racing Manager, added: “Yamaha is fully committed to giving our riders from the national championships the opportunity to race on the world championship stage.
“After an incredible first season on the R1 in British Superbikes, Bradley has shown that he fully deserves his spot on the WorldSBK grid in 2023. We’ve seen over the years that he has fantastic race craft and consistency that allowed him to win the title this year.
“We are sure that he will be able to adapt quickly, as he has been able to throughout his career so far. The Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team are sure to give him the best possible chance to challenge for strong results.”
Top in-text image courtesy of Ian Hopgood Photography.
