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Moto Rapido Racing is a motorbike racing team, currently competing in the
British Superbike Championship
The British Superbike Championship (BSB), currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Bennetts British Superbike Championship, is the leading road racing superbike championship in the United Kingdom, and was once widely acknowledged as the p ...
. For the first half of the 2018 season, the superbike rider was
Taylor Mackenzie, who replaced injured American
John Hopkins. For the second half of the 2018 season
Tommy Bridewell succeeded Mackenzie as sole BSB rider. He was retained for 2019 finishing in third place with 636 points, and is contracted again for 2020.
Thomas Strudwick also rode during 2017 in Motostar standard class.
History
The Moto Rapido Ducati team progressed to the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship in 2011 after a season in the National Superstock 1000 Championship with
Scott Smart
Scott Paul Smart (born 29 May 1975) is a British motorcycle racer and an occasional TV commentator for Channel 4. He is the son of Paul Smart, and the nephew of Barry Sheene.
Racing career
Scott won the Superteen series in 1994, and he was ...
.
From then the team competed in many seasons with a Ducati Superstock 1000 including a maiden race win with Tristan Palmer. They also entered the British Superbike class and every race improved their bike and results.
In 2015 the team signed a deal with Lloyds British to compete in the Superbike class with Czech contender
Jakub Smrž
Jakub 'Kuba' Smrž (born 7 April 1983 in České Budějovice, Czechoslovakia) is a professional motorcycle road racer. He currently competes in the Superbike World Championship, aboard a Yamaha YZF-R1. For 2017 and 2018 he rode a BMW S1000RR in ...
, but after several good results, Smrz had a crash at the Snetterton Circuit, meaning he would be out. American
John Hopkins took his place as a replacement rider and took the team to a record result at the final round of the 2015 season of 3rd place.
In 2016 the team signed Danny Buchan but after a successful start to the year in testing, things didn't work during the start of the season. The team's replacement rider was Scotsman
Stuart Easton, but he also dropped out, and Ducati test rider
Alessandro Polita
Alessandro Polita (born 3 June 1984) is an Italian motorcycle racer, winner of the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup in 2006. His sister, Alessia Polita, also ran as a professional rider, until an accident caused paralysis of the lower limbs.
Career
...
was the final rider of the season.
For 2017 the team signed American
John Hopkins to compete in the British Superbike class. Hopkins was badly injured at
Brands Hatch
Brands Hatch is a motor racing circuit in West Kingsdown, Kent, England, United Kingdom. Originally used as a grasstrack motorcycle circuit on farmland, it hosted 12 runnings of the British Grand Prix between 1964 and 1986 and currently host ...
requiring extensive surgeries and physical rehabilitation that effectively ended his racing career.
For the first half of the 2018 season, the superbike rider was
Taylor Mackenzie, who replaced John Hopkins. The team and Mackenzie announced their mutual decision to part company at the
Knockhill
Knockhill Racing Circuit is a motor racing circuit in Fife, Scotland. It opened in September 1974 and is Scotland's national motorsport centre. The circuit is located in the countryside about north of Dunfermline. It is the only FIA approved ...
BSB round practice session on 7 July, due to the rider's poor results.
BSB: Mackenzie and MotoRapido Ducati announce split
''Motorcycle News
''MCN'' or ''Motor Cycle News'' is a UK weekly motorcycling newspaper published by Bauer Consumer Media, based in Peterborough, United Kingdom. It claims to be "the world’s biggest weekly motorcycle newspaper".
The title was founded in la ...
'', 7 July 2018. Retrieved 8 July 2018
For the second half of 2018 and the full 2019 season the rider was Tommy Bridewell.
References
{{Reflist
External links
Moto Rapido Racing Official Website
2019 British Superbike Team Profile
Motorcycle racing teams
Motorcycle racing teams established in 2010
2010 establishments in the United Kingdom