In the continued absence of Makoto Tamada, due to a broken wrist sustained at Monza, three-time AMA champion Jamie Hacking will join Broc Parkes at the factory-backed PBM Kawasaki team during next weekend's Miller Motorsports Park round.
British-born Hacking, currently second in the AMA
Daytona SportBike championship for Attack Kawasaki, ran present
WSBK star Ben Spies close in last year's AMA Superbike race at the American track.
Hacking also put in an impressive appearance for the Kawasaki
MotoGP team as a wild-card at Laguna Seca, where he finished in eleventh place.
"I rode
World Superbikes back when I first started racing at Laguna Seca,” said 37-year-old Hacking. “Obviously a lot has changed and I have more experience. I can't really say what a realistic expectation would be without riding the bike, but Miller does seem to suit my style. Last year, it was our best track on the ZX-10R and I hope that we can try for a top ten."
Hacking won the AMA Supersport title in 2003 and again in 2006, when he also won the Superstock title.
Tamada's place had been taken by South African Sheridan Morais at last weekend's Kyalami round, meaning Parkes will be joined by a local rider for the second round in succession.
“I didn't race at Miller in World Supersport last year so this will be my first visit, but I'm looking forward to it and also welcoming another new team-mate who is a local and will have experience he can bring to the team,” said Parkes.
Morais finished 13th and eleventh at Kyalami, while Parkes' best race finish so far this year is tenth place.