CHRIS BURNS will replace injured reigning champion Martin Bauer at the Holzhauer Honda Racing outfit in the IDM German Superbike series from this weekend and in the process becomes team-mate to seven-time Formula 1 World Champion Michael Schumacher in the leading IDM squad, which took Bauer to championship glory in 2008.
Burns will pilot the team's CBR1000 Fireblade for at least four rounds, starting at the famous Nurburgring circuit this coming weekend.
The 2008 British Superbike Cup runner received the call-up earlier this week as he continued his pursuit of a ride within the BSB paddock. Bauer was last week ruled out for several weeks with a broken hand sustained in a crash at Oschersleben two weeks ago. Team chiefs decided to enlist the former WCM MotoGP rider in a bid to continue the squad's winning ways.
"I only found out on Monday, so I've had very little time to get things turned around," he said. "My manager in Germany has been trying hard to find me something, and he spoke to the team at Holzhauer and they said they wanted me... naturally I said yes straight away.
"This team won the championship last year with Martin Bauer and the bike I will be riding usually has the Number 1 plate so I've got to make the grade when I get out there. They said they want me for four rounds, but this will obviously be reviewed, depending on how well it all goes over the weekend.
"Nurburgring is a completely new circuit to me, and this will be my first time on a Honda, so I've got my work cut out. I'm not concerned about having a team-mate as high profile as Michael Schumacher, although I imagine it will be strange effectively being his team leader!
"But it's a new challenge for me, and something I can't wait to get my teeth into. I've got an opportunity with a strong team with a great track record so I'm hoping together we can get some good results this weekend and carry it on for the rest of the season."
It is likely that Burns will be the team's only rider this weekend. Schumacher, who is still recovering from a pre-season crash, is believed to have pulled out of the event to regain full fitness for the next round.
