As has been widely expected, factory Repsol Honda Grand Prix rider Tadayuki Okada has made the transition from GP to World Superbikes for the 2001 season and will partner newly crowned WSBK World Champion
Colin Edwards in the factory Castrol sponsored Honda squad.
The 33 year old Japanese rider has won four 500cc Grand Prix's during his tenure with the Repsol team, came a close second to Michael Doohan in the 1997 500cc Championship and was third overall behind Alex Criville and
Kenny Roberts last year.
This season however has been a disappointment for the Repsol team and Okada has not been a major threat in many races this year. Wanting to stay with the marque that has been his home for the past twelve years, Okada opted to take the Superbike challenge when it became clear that Repsol were looking elsewhere for riders next year.
“I'm very happy to be joining the Castrol team and making the switch to Superbikes,” announced Okada from the team's base in Louth. “I am confident that I will be successful.”
For the man Okada replaces in Neil Tuxworth's team, the future is much less certain however and the emotional scenes witnessed on the front straight at
Brands Hatch at the end of the final race of the year, could well have been the Aaron Slight's farewell to the series he has raced in for the past eight seasons.
Slight had his second successive winless year after having a brain operation in the close season and missing the first four rounds and the veteran rider looked physically drained for much of the year. Many are hoping that Slight decides to call it quits and pursue another career in motorsport such as Touring Cars where he has several connections with Honda.
Slight has not announced his retirement from bike racing but he has been very quiet when it comes to announcing his future plans. A ride alongside Frankie Chili and Stephan Chambon in the Alstare Corona outfit has not been completely ruled out but other than that it seems as though Slight's options on two wheels appear to be limited.
