This year, the Spaniard raced in British Superbike on a factory Honda, finishing in ninth position in the final standings, three points behind teammate Andrew Irwin. He achieved his best results at the end of May at Donington with three podiums, in the form of two second places behind Scott Redding and a third. He also finished third at Knockhill.
Javier “Xavi” Forés Querol came to the Superbike World Championship through Supersport, when he completed his first full season in 2005 on a Suzuki for Francis Batta's Alstare team. He then won the CEV Stock Extreme Championship in 2010 and 2013, and the IDM Superbike in 2014.
His first full season in world SBK took place in 2016 on a Barni Racing Ducati. He finished third in Germany and ninth overall at the end of the year.
In 2017, still with Barni Racing and on a Ducati, he finished the season seventh in the general classification. He was also ranked seventh in 2018, reaching the podium five times. He then won the title of best independent driver of the year, just like Toprak Razgatlioglu did it with Puccetti Racing this year. After Ducati and Honda, here is now Xavi Fores on Kawasaki.
According to Xavi Fores, who are " I am very happy to return to WorldSBK, with the Puccetti Racing Team for the next season. Manuel and Kawasaki have been a strong team for several years and it was easy for me to find an agreement with them. »
“The bike is very good and I think it suits my riding style well, so I insisted on signing with Manuel. I can't wait to get on the machine and start working to prepare for the 2020 campaign and make sure I start the first round in Australia with a good package and in great shape.
“I would like to thank Kawasaki Europe for their support, but also Manuel for the trust he has shown in me. »
To Manuel Puccetti, who are " Our goal is to win, to always try to win. It's not easy, but we'll try again next year. I think we can have a good season with Xavi and he should be very fast with the Kawasaki. »
“The package we had with Toprak proved the level of our bike. Xavi is fast and consistent in all conditions and I think he is the perfect rider for us. I think with his experience he will be able to adapt quickly and we have already scheduled tests. »
“It's difficult to know if he will be as fast as Toprak this year, but after two or three events he will be very strong. I think he's very excited to join us. »
Photo above: Xavi Fores on the podium at Donington in BSB
Photos © Kawasaki and Honda Motor Europe Limited (“HME”)
