Nakano to WSBK with Aprilia.

great news for nakano,he is way too good to be hondas test rider,hope he shows them what they have let go of....

That bike is practically a motogp bike, I think Nakano will be a title contender if he gets along with the tyres. Still so underated.

WSBK is going to be amazing next season!

fantstic news and a very interesting rider choice - I can't wait to see and hear the Aprilia in action.

Next year's WSBK is going to be fantastic - just finishing inside the top 10 overall is going to be an achievement!!

I think once again WSBK will be the series to watch, just as it was in 07 and 08.

Am so pleased Shinya hasn't been pushed out of racing. Like Guintoli, they've never been provided with the "top-shelf" MotoGP bikes so have only ever been pretty mediocre in the points and (perceived) talent. It's a shame Guintoli wasn't offered a WSB ride, as the series has been (let's be honest) far more exciting to watch than MotoGP these last couple of years.

Would be interested to know what the TV viewing figures of WSB are like over the last few years. Bet they've been steadily growing again. Seems to be getting more and more popular with race fans as the place for thrilling action (as also noted by Mr Rossi).

Good luck to Shinya, I'll be rooting for him, he's a true gentleman.

WSBK would blow away moto gp if it had proper coverage, like it used to get from SKY. eurosport dont really do it justice.

get back keith and jullian. get it on SKY or ITV maybe? it would once again be the TOP motorcycling racing series as it was during the 90's. i was always amazed how WSBK let that market they had created go

Not having top shelf machinery? He rode the Gresini Honda with factory spec engine to a decent 7th place Sunday. But it is unusual for a Japanese rider to opt for a non-Japanese bike, no? I've lost track, who got his seat? I would guess Aprilia.would not have lost the info provided by Edwards in Aprilia's ill-fated MotoGP foray. If so, this will mean 2 more bikes capable of racing near the front.

The really annoying thing is that many of us won't see WSBK at all as there is no terrestrial coverage. Next year's WSBK looks like being a cracker.

4stroke
there is allways a live feed from SBK for both races and the super sport race
and unlike MGP it is free, so watch it on your computer.

man, next yr's wsbk is stacked. def looking forward to next season.. this yr, I only wish bayliss had bit more competition.. at times, his 1098 just looked so dominating.
bsb would be interesting as well.. hope guinto would do well.. but rizla pulling out sponsorship.. hope that wont effect anything.. man.. if they got toby and jules to commentate, it would be awesome!

@ edward

Toni Elias took his seat at Gresini & yes, it is rather unusual, as I can only recall prior to Shinya, only Nori Haga & Haruchika Aoki as the other two Japanese riders to have ridden Italian makes in SBK.

Next year should be a banner year for WSBK with two new manufacturers, the addition of a competitive American Rider, and a deep field full of name recognition talent. Should be much better than the MotoGP snozefests we've been seeing lately.

GET **** You've got to love the guy haven't you!! Best of luck Shinya - it would have been a shame to not see you race next year....... as long as you give max a good thrashing!!

SBK will be my series of choice next year, I think. The depth of talent and the size of the grid should make it a banger of a season.

As for Shinya and his Aprilia gig? Excellent place for him to be. He's incredibly underrated as a development rider, and as a racer, yet he's always consistent. Awesome to see he'll still be racing..

I second that Sandracer. I hope Nakano kicks Fielding's ass

go super shinya! always loved Nakano brilliant 250 rider, hope he goes well!!
He deserves a shot at WSB.

Shinya had a very strong end to the season on that HRC-ish RC212v. Please tell me how gresini would sign Elias who is what ..last in the standings almost, but with two podiums. It is the EXACT same thing Gresini fired him for a year before, podium he had in Turkey and some other place and was **** otherwise.Don't even get me started on Randy De Puniet and De Angelis and Kallio... absolute bullocks .I AM VERY EXCITED TO FOLLOW WSBK NEXT YEAR HOWEVER! FIRST YEAR I WILL FOLLOW EVERY RACE BECAUSE OF SHINYA.and don't be surprised if after this season kawasaki want him back because they will get rid of Hopkins, he has been trASH.

There are 16 factory bikes in WSBK next ye**** 14 will most likely be competitive. To top it off there are top-notch riders like Nakano. wow, just wow.

As a spectator, SBK is awesome value for money. You get Superpole, SS, and 2 SBK races. There's nothing better than having an awesome race and then knowing there's going to be another one. SBK has a good built in format. Does SBK run to 75 kilometers? They should run to 100 km like the GP because sometimes the races are a little short.