Irwin makes JG Speedfit Kawasaki switch for 2019

Glenn Irwin will move to the JG Speedfit Kawasaki team for the 2019 Bennetts British Superbike championship.

After three years at Be Wiser Ducati in BSB, Irwin will make the switch to the Bournemouth Kawasaki-run squad to take up World Superbike-bound Leon Haslam’s spot in its rider line-up.

Irwin, who made his BSB debut with the Be Wiser Ducati squad, is currently fourth in the Showdown standings contesting his maiden top six title fight with six podiums to his name notched up during the regular season.

The Norther Irish rider secured his first BSB win last year at Silverstone while he has also celebrated wins on the roads at the North West 200 and the Macau Grand Prix.

“I’m over the moon. I feel like I’ve served my apprenticeship in the BSB now and moving back to Kawasaki after some successful times in Supersport is the perfect opportunity,” Irwin said. “Also hearing the enthusiasm from the top at Kawasaki about me signing for them is worth its weight in gold. I thrive on that and I look forward to being in that environment.”

Irwin will contest the 2019 BSB campaign on the new Kawasaki ZX-10RR, with the current model undergoing significant updates for next year, with the 28-year-old set to begin testing in Spain in November alongside the World Superbike factory Kawasaki squad.

“I can’t wait for my first ride of the new Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10RR,” he said. “Also, I’m looking forward to learning from my new team given their experience and success over the past three seasons.

“I started paying close attention to the new 2019 Ninja ZX-10RR when the conversations began with Kawasaki. I believe the chassis is phenomenal and it will be a bike that can be ridden hard.

“The engine was already strong, so with the updated engine, we should have even more power and an even better handling bike. You only need to look at what the current bike has done, so it will be nice to jump on a proven package with some upgrades that will make the new model even better.”

The second JG Speedfit Kawasaki rider is set to be confirmed in the coming weeks ahead of its winter tests for the 2019 campaign.