Image: Keith Muir.

The Yamaha Motor Finance Australian Superbike Championship supported by Motul Pirelli (ASBK) will introduce a new Rookie Award in 2017 after striking a deal with Ficeda Accessories for Shark and Ixon’s official involvement.

This season’s Shark Helmets Rookie of the Year winner in the YMI Superbikes will be awarded a crafted trophy and Shark helmet, while top-scoring rookie per round – as of Wakefield Park – will receive a set of Ixon race gloves.

“We love to support up and coming racers, which is why we’ve introduced the SHARK Helmets Rookie Award for 2017,” commented Shark Helmets brand manager Dan Smith. “With the depth of talent and teams across all classes, the ASBK is shaping up to be one of the most thrilling seasons of racing on Australian soil in years.”

“We’re extremely excited to align the Shark Helmets brand with a world-class series like the ASBK again for 2017. Shark Helmets are at the pinnacle of racing performance and safety and are the number one choice for racers like Glenn Allerton, Wayne Maxwell, Kyle Buckley, Cru Haliday, Daniel Falzon and Callum Spriggs, just to name a few.”

Ficeda Accessories has been a leading distributor in Australia since the late 1980s of rider safety apparel and accessories such as Shark Helmets and Ixon leathers. Shark has now become the ASBK’s official helmet partner, while Ixon is the official race leathers partner.