Buildbase Suzuki has confirmed Christian Iddon and Danny Kent will form its rider line-up for the 2022 Bennetts British Superbike Championship (BSB) season.
The factory supported Hawk Racing-prepared team was one of the last outfits to reveal its entries for the 2022 season amid rumours surrounding Iddon and the possibility of him remaining with the Paul Bird Motorsport concern he challenged for the 2021 BSB title with.
However, the experienced 37-year old has now committed to Suzuki for what will be his eleventh season in the domestic series.
His switch to Buildbase comes after enjoying arguably his best season in BSB with two victories and a run to the Title Showdown en route to fourth in the overall standings. It’s an eventuality he subsequently refers to, admitting he was surprised to be dropped by PBM despite out-performing team-mate Josh Brookes.
“To be honest I was surprised to find myself looking for a ride, going into the winter, but things always seem to fall into place and I’m really pleased to be joining Buildbase Suzuki and Hawk Racing.
“I think we’re cut from similar cloth in that they love their racing, they’re very passionate about it, and they just quietly get on with it. I also think the team is underrated by a lot of people – though not by me – despite their achievements, and they don’t always get the recognition they deserve.
“But, you only have to look at the races and championships they’ve won and how they always get the best out of their riders to know it’s a great team. So I think we’re well-suited to each other.
“And I think we can mount a serious title challenge. That’s got to be the aim, to be champion can only ever be the aim.
“Of course that’s not easy with so many bikes so close on performance and good riders on the grid, but if we get the best from the bike and from me we can have a go.
Iddon will be paired with Kent, who is keen to pick up from where he left off from a promising maiden season in BSB last year.
The 2015 Moto3 World Champion landed his first podium for the team at Thruxton but a crash at the following Donington Park round left him with a fractured hip that curtailed his season.
“I’m really grateful to Steve and Stuart [Hicken] for giving me another year with the team. Obviously, I missed the whole second half of last season with the injury, but we definitely saw some positives in the first half of the year, the podium at Thruxton being the stand out.
“But, it was my first full year on a superbike and I felt I was adapting more and more and the potential was definitely there. I was gutted to miss the second half of the year, especially as I could see the development of the bike and the improvements the team were able to make that resulted in a couple of wins.
“My hip is getting better. It’s not at 100% but it’s going in the right direction. A lack of strength is the biggest thing; the muscles have deteriorated and it feels weak, I can’t apply the same force, but I’m working with Loughborough University and I have seen a significant improvement.
“But it was a complicated injury – I was bed-bound for a week waiting for an operation, as they could put it back in place but it kept falling out because of the fracture – and I have to see specialists every three months for the foreseeable future.
“I’ve not ridden a bike since, though, so I’m looking forward to riding in February, hopefully, and getting some laps in on a Superstock bike to get comfortable again and get up to speed. No matter what training you do nothing compares to riding a bike, so that’s going to be important.”
Iddon’s arrival at Suzuki would appear to confirm long-held rumours that 2013 WorldSBK Champion Tom Sykes is PBM Ducati-bound for the 2022 BSB season.
The Briton has been linked with the team for several months, though there was talk PBM Ducati might attempt to retain Iddon by expanding to a three-bike effort.
