Source: Supplied.

Honda’s official Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) team has unveiled Red Bull as its primary sponsor ahead of the 2017 season.

The Red Bill Honda World Superbike Team of Nicky Hayden and Stefan Bradl uncovered the brand new CBR1000RR SP2 at the famous Hangar-7 facility in Salzburg, Austria.

“This new season comes with a lot of anticipation for several good reasons,” said team manager Ronald ten Kate. “We have a new title partner in Red Bull, we will field the new Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP2 and put it in the hands of two incredibly gifted and experienced in Nicky Hayden and Stefan Bradl.

“We are all extremely motivated for this new chapter and committed to battle at the sharp end of the field. I would like to personally thank all sponsors, partners and everyone involved for helping make all of this possible. I’m confident that 2017 is going to be a great year for the Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team.”

Hayden, who was a Red Bull athlete when he won the 2006 MotoGP championship, commented: “It’s a new year with a new bike, new title partner and new teammate, so there are definitely many changes ahead and a lot of things to look forward to. This is my second year in World Superbike and I hope to take the experience I made last year and take it up to the next level.

“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.”

Longtime Red Bull-backed former Moto2 champion and WorldSBK newcomer Bradl was delighted to maintain the energy drink support: “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.”

Red Bull, the world’s leading energy drink company and for decades a key player in motorsports and action sports, now enters the WorldSBK paddock for the first time as a team title partner.