Red Bull Announced as Honda WorldSBK Sponsor
Rennie Scaysbrook | February 6, 2017
Hayden and Bradl debut Red Bull iconic colors in WorldSBK
Energy drinks company Red Bull has been unveiled as the title sponsor for the Honda WorldSBK team in a ceremony at their Hangar 7 facilities in Salzburg, Austria today.
Team riders Nicky Hayden and new teammate Stefan Bradl will debut the Red Bull colors in two weeks at the final preseason test at Phillip Island ahead of round one, as they continue development on their brand new Honda CBR1000RR SP2 machines.
Hayden (left) is joined by his old MotoGP sparring partner Bradl (right) in WorldSBK this year and re-joins the fray as a Red Bull athlete.
Nicky Hayden
“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,” Hayden said in Austria. “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. 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.”
WorldSBK rookie Bradl is optimistic about the season ahead, having called time on a MotoGP career that saw him ride for Honda and finally Aprilia last season.
The new ride certainly looks the goods!
Stefan Bradl
“It’s a whole new experience for me, and a new championship where I’ve never raced before,” Bradl said. “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.”
