2013 World Superbike
Riders continue to be announced for the 2013 World Superbike Championship, the latest arriving from the FIXI Crescent Suzuki team.
Joining the Suzuki team will be the Frenchman Jules Cluzel, who finished second following his rookie year in the 2012 World Supersport Championship (PTR Honda CBR600RR).
Cluzel will be teammates with Leon Camier, who remains with FIXI Crescent Suzuki following a 14th overall finish in 2012 World SBK. The team recently had an agreement with Sylvain Guintoli, but the Frenchman broke the agreement to explore other options.
During his rookie Supersport year, the 24-year-old Cluzel was on the podium eight times, which included four wins (Monza, Silverstone, Portimao and the season finale at Magny-Cours).
Cluzel’s first outing on the Yoshimura-powered Suzuki GSX-R 1000 will be during a test at Spain this January. His first race on the superbike will be at Phillip Island Feb. 24, the first of 15 races in 2013.
Jules Cluzel (FIXI Crescent Suzuki GSX-R 1000 Superbike) says: “I am really excited to be joining the FIXI Crescent Suzuki team. It is a big step in my career, but one that I am very happy to take. When I was given the option to work with Suzuki in World Superbikes, I did not need to think about it twice and I just said a big ‘Yes!’ straight away.
“I am really motivated by the whole project and I know that this is what I want. I will make sure I’m totally ready for the first race and plan to learn not only quickly, but also intelligently. I cannot wait to start work and I am also really pleased to be working with an English team. I now just want to get on the bike and see how it goes, do my best and challenge for some good results.”
Paul Denning (FIXI Crescent Suzuki Team Principal) says: “Securing Leon’s teammate for 2013 hasn’t exactly been the smoothest process, but in the end we couldn’t be happier with the result! Jules is young, fast and aggressive and has shown that he can adapt to new bikes and new championships very quickly. His 250GP and Moto2 experience provides an understanding and feeling for stiffer, less forgiving ‘race-bikes’ which the WSBK machines have developed into, and we anticipate a quick transition to the GSX-R.”
