Leon Camier Signs WSBK Deal with Aprilia

Shortly after announcing their withdrawal from the Moto2 championship next season, Aprilia confirmed the news that Leon Camier will join its World Superbike works team for the 2010 season. The announcement marks the conclusion of Aprilia's official lineup for the new season, as Max Biaggi was already confirmed for an additional season with the Italian bike maker.

According to the press release from the Italian manufacturer, the reasoning behind that decision was Camier's good performances on the RSV4 during the last season finale at Portimao.

“Leon Camier, 23, will be flanking Max Biaggi in the Aprilia SBK team during the 2010 season. His excellent results at Portimao (sixth and seventh) and the post-race tests on the Portuguese circuit confirmed the choice of the young British driver for the 4-cylinder Italian bike,” said the statement from Aprilia.

This will be Camier's first full-season in the World Superbike Series, following his successful campaign in the highly-competitive British Superbike. Riding for Airwaves Yamaha in the latter series, Camier managed to score no less than 18 wins out of 26 races, an absolute record in the British Superbike.

As he won the title many races before the actual finish line of the BSB series, he tried his luck on the Aprilia RSV4 during the Portimao WSBK races, replacing injured Japanese rider Shinya Nakano. Needless to say, his performances impressed everybody in the Aprilia staff, as he scored it without any prior knowledge of the RSV4. His only presence in the series through the 2009 season was a wild-card entry in the Donington Park event, with Airwaves Yamaha.

According to crash.net, Aprilia may be inclined to further extend their WSBK programme in 2010, with a potential new team for MotoGP's Alex de Angelis. The company recently announced its quit from the Moto2 Series, therefore it may consider switching focus towards the WSBK in the near future.