Red Bull Honda World Superbike CBR1000RR SP2
For 2017, the Honda World Superbike team has a new rider lineup and main sponsor. Nicky Hayden, the 2006 MotoGP Champion, and Stefan Bradl, the 2011 Moto2 Champion, will compete aboard the Honda CBR1000RR SP2 superbikes during 2017 World SBK.
[Read our 2017 Honda CBR1000RR Review]
Red Bull is the factory Honda Pro Racing team’s main sponsor for 2017 SBK, and the teammates and CBR1000RR SP2s were unveiled in 2017 livery at the famous Hangar-7 facility in Salzburg, Austria. A photo gallery from the event follows.
The 35-year-old Kentuckian Hayden joined World Superbike in 2016 after 12 years in MotoGP. He claimed four podiums, including a single win at Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia, and finished the season fifth overall with the team under the direction of Ronald ten Kate.
“It’s a new year with a new bike, new title partner and new team mate, so there are definitely many changes ahead and a lot of things to look forward to. This is my second year in World Superbike so I hope to take the experience I made last year and take it up to the next level,” Hayden says.
“I’m really glad to get back together with Red Bull, who I have represented in the past, and it’s a great opportunity for me. We have to focus now on the job ahead and work as hard as we can in order to be ready for the season opener. The level of the competition is higher than ever and we have a big job ahead of us, but everybody is really motivated and I cannot wait to get started.”
As for Bradl, the 27-year-old German spent the past five years in MotoGP, racing aboard a mix of Honda, Yamaha and Aprilia prototype machinery. This will be his first year in World Superbike.
“I’m really looking forward to the new season! It’s a whole new experience for me, and a new championship where I’ve never raced before,” Bradl says. “It’s going to be a very interesting partnership with Honda and Red Bull, which is undoubtedly an amazing brand, and one that has been supporting me for my whole racing career.
“I’m really happy to be a Red Bull athlete and even happier now that it has also become the team’s title partner. We have the chance to represent the brand in each and every event all around the world, so I’m really excited about that. We have a new Fireblade for the season, so it will take a little bit of time to dial it in but we’ll do our best to take it to the top as soon as possible. All in all it’s a great project and step by step we will make it a successful one.”