SportBiKeZ

Ulsterman Eugene Laverty (22) will replace Fabien Foret in the Yamaha World Supersport Team for the Donington and Vallelunga rounds, as the French rider continues his recuperation at home in France.

Third in the 2006 British Supersport series, Laverty has more recent experience of 250cc GP machinery, but is pumped at the prospect of running in top-level 600cc racing. ”I'm really excited at the chance to ride a competitive Supersport machine”, said Laverty. ”Two years of riding underpowered bikes has led to two difficult seasons for me. For Yamaha to pick me up and offer this opportunity is fantastic, I'm over the moon! I can't wait to get to Donington and start working with the team to set up and get out on track".

James Ellison is on course to appear at Donington Park as a wildcard entry in a fortnight’s time for round 11 of the World Superbike Championship, despite injuries to his right hand that put him out of the Cadwell Park BSB last weekend.

Ellison had to sit out the two races on Bank Holiday Monday when an injury to his arm caused too severe during the F1-style qualifying session on Sunday.

Ellison picked up the injury riding on a Honda Enduro launch a week prior in Malaga alongside Cal Crutchlow and Leon Haslam.

Ellison said the ripped tendons in his lower right arm and hand were caused by the strain of riding and spent Monday in pit lane with a brace on his injured arm.

But Hydrex Bike Animal Team Owner Shaun Muir said the former Grand Prix and AMA star was still on course for a wildcard appearance at Donington Park for the up coming World Superbike round.

Muir told : “We are waiting on Friday night or Saturday morning to make our decision on James. That’s when the splinter is due to come off his arm, but he’s on a course of daily injections and there is no reason why the injury shouldn’t be sorted for Donington.

“As long as there are no repercussions of the injury, James will be fully fit for the World Superbike weekend.”

The good news for Ryuichi Kiyonari and his Hannspree Ten Kate Honda Team is that he will enter the Donington race on a wave of confidence after his double win last time out at Brands Hatch. The bad news for his rivals is that he actually thought he would stand more of a chance of his first World Superbike win at his most favoured UK racetrack, Donington Park!

Said Kiyo, "I like Donington, although it is quite a difficult circuit, with a very fast part followed by the very tight area around the hairpin. Before the season, I thought that Donington would be my strongest circuit but, after winning at Brands Hatch, I will be trying extra hard for another victory".

Britain's James Ellison will be lining up as a wild-card ride at this weekend's Donington Park round of the HANNspree FIM Superbike World Championship despite still feeling the effects of a recent wrist injury that forced him to sit out the last round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Cadwell Park.

The 27 year-old from Kendal had scored points in every round of the BSB championship on his Shaun Muir Racing 1000cc Honda Fireblade, but had to miss Cadwell, and is now looking forward to racing in World Superbike once again, after two years in MotoGP and a year in AMA Superbike.

"I'm so looking forward to racing at Donington, it's unreal!" declared Ellison. "I was so frustrated at Cadwell but my wrist is fine and I have no concerns about it at all now. All it needed was a little bit of rest and now I'm raring to go. We had a good run in the BSB races at Donington and I'm hopeful we can give a good account of ourselves once again. We know our bike is good, we have got the electronics working a lot better and I'm really up for this one. Top ten would be a great result, but I'm hoping for a top six if I'm being honest and despite it being probably the strongest field of the year what with all the British wild cards, I'm feeling very confident".

Ellison is familiar with the World Superbike paddock, having won the European Superstock Championship in 2000 and 2001, before embarking on a season in World Supersport in 2002. He scored his best WSB results in 2004, taking his Yamaha to fifth and sixth at Brands Hatch.