Lavilla in - Haydon out

Gregorio Lavilla is replacing James Haydon in British Superbikes for the rest of this season, Airwaves Ducati announced on Friday (April 22).

The Spaniard will be in action alongside 21-year-old Leon Haslam at Mallory Park this weekend.

A spokesman confirmed: “James Haydon, for the good of the team and Airwaves Ducati, will stand down for the rest of the season.”

Airwaves Ducati – with Haslam and Lavilla riding – are currently second in the championship.

“Having secured four podiums from four starts, the performances of 30-year-old Lavilla have been very impressive and this has lead to James making this difficult decision to enable the team to make today’s announcement,” reads a statement from the team.

Team Manager, Colin Wright, added: “The last couple of weeks have not been an easy time for all involved but the team are extremely grateful to James for standing down and allowing Gregorio to continue riding. We appreciate that this was the hardest of decisions for him to make and are pleased to confirm that James will be with us at Mallory Park supporting the team. We are fully focused on continuing the excellent progress we’ve made in the first two rounds and are looking forward to the rest of the season.”

A disappointed Haydon said: “This was a very difficult decision to make but, for the good of the team and Airwaves Ducati, I will stand down to allow Gregorio to continue to fly the flag for Airwaves Ducati. I wish the team all the best for the rest of the season.”