Source: Supplied.

Popular American Nicky Hayden has been confirmed alongside Michael van der Mark in the 2016 World Superbike Championship as part of Honda’s factory effort on a CBR1000RR SP.

Hayden, who won the 2006 MotoGP World Championship for Repsol Honda, will replace Yamaha-bound Sylvain Guintoli at Honda following a 13-year grand prix career where he scored three wins and 28 podiums.

The challenge for Hayden, 34, is to become the first-ever rider to claim both the MotoGP and WorldSBK titles. He last raced a Superbike fulltime in 2002 when he won the American Superbike crown before heading directly to Repsol Honda.

“Well this will be my last year in MotoGP as I’ll be moving to World Superbike next year with Honda and the Ten Kate team,” Hayden said. “It’s about all there is to it, not a lot more nothing too dramatic! These last two years have been not so good and I wasn’t in a position to get the result to keep a high level bike in MotoGP.

“I’ve always thought SBK might be something I want to try, liked the racing there, the opportunity felt like a good fit. I’m getting a bit older, but I still enjoy the sport and the game. It’ll be a fresh challenge and a new opportunity to go there and have some more fun.

“Of course I’ll miss MotoGP and I’ve had a great opportunity here and been part of some great teams and worked with some great people, but nothing lasts forever and we got to keep moving, go to SBK with Honda and hopefully have some fun.”

Honda WorldSBK operations manager Marco Chini said additional development on the aging Fireblade will help to make it more competitive next season, before a new model is anticipated for 2017.

“We are of course delighted to announce that Nicky Hayden will be Michael’s teammate on Honda’s CBR Fireblade machine in the 2016 World Superbike Championship,” Chini commented. “The team has worked really hard this season, continuing the development of the bike together with Cosworth’s electronics and we are really happy that this endeavor has translated into strong performances from both riders, particularly in the last few races.

“These results have demonstrated the great potential that remains in the CBR and I’m happy that they may have influenced Nicky’s decision to join our program. We are confident that the wide experience he has gained at the highest level of our sport can help the squad to continue the development, the momentum and the team work that has been established this season and translate that into further positive results.”

Team manager Ronald ten Kate welcomed Hayden to the team, excited to work with one of the few active MotoGP World Champions alongside van der Mark in the WorldSBK factory team.

“It’s well known that at Ten Kate we always have been and always will be Honda,” ten Kate commented. “There is only be one person in the world who could possibly be more Honda than us and that’s Nicky Hayden! That’s why I’m absolutely delighted that he’ll be joining us for next season.

“He was AMA Superbike champion with Honda and we’re really looking forward to bringing him back to his Superbike roots. By working together and using all our combined resources, I hope that in the future we can make him the first world champion in MotoGP and World Superbike.

“We are also looking forward to combining Nicky’s experience with young Michael, who has shown really good pace and huge potential on the CBR in his first season. I think you can safely say that I’m more than happy with the line-up we have for 2016!”

Honda will begin testing for the 2016 WorldSBK championship season in November with two scheduled tests in Spain, which will be Hayden’s first opportunity to familiarise himself with his new Honda CBR1000RR SP.