Karl Muggeridge is looking forward to making a return to motorcycle racing in the UK having been confirmed as the replacement for the suspended Josh Brookes at HM Plant Honda.

Ten years after competing with the team in the British Supersport Championship, Muggeridge will return to HM Plant Honda in the Superbike class for the next two rounds at Brands Hatch and Cadwell Park.

Since competing on British soil on a full-time basis, Muggeridge has gone on to become a World Supersport Champion and a committed Honda rider in the World Superbike Championship, although a four-year term didn't result in any podium finishes.

His appearance on a bike at Brands Hatch will be his first since he was injured in an accident at the American Miller Motorsports Park round of the World Superbike Championship, a fall that also aggravated an earlier broken vertebra.

Having been subsequently dropped by the Celani Suzuki team he began the season with, a fully-fit Muggeridge is excited about the prospect of racing in the UK once again.

"It has been a long time since I last raced in the UK, but it is refreshing for me to be back with a great team and bike,” he said. “It has been a pretty hard last three years for me but I am ready for this challenge. I am back to full fitness now after the big crash I had in WSB and am looking forward to Brands Hatch.

"I tested the HM Plant Honda Fireblade at Cadwell Park last week and I gelled straight away with the team and it was great for me to be back working with them again. The bike feels great too, although of course we still have some work to do on set-up to suit my style.

“I have always liked the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit and this is a fantastic opportunity for me. I have had success in the UK before so I am hoping that I can come back strong next weekend."

With regular riders Brookes and Glen Richards suspended or injured, team manager Havier Beltran believes Muggeridge's extensive Honda experience will be invaluable.

“Karl is a rider who has experience of the British series and also Honda, having ridden for us in the Supersport championship a decade ago. He's also won races at Brands, it's his favourite circuit and he has experience of the Fireblade from his World Superbike experience. All in all, we feel we're fielding a strong line-up for the next two rounds."