Luke Stapleford will join the McAMS Yamaha team for a one-off ride in the next round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Oulton Park later this month.
The 2015 British Supersport Champion has a number of Bennetts BSB race starts to his name, most recently replacing Dean Harrison at the recent Cadwell Park round for DAO Racing Kawasaki.
Stapleford already has experience of racing the latest Yamaha R1 at Oulton Park having stood in for the injured Ryan Vickers for LAMI OMG Yamaha at the second round of the 2023 season earlier this year.
A brief shakedown test at Oulton Park earlier today saw Stapleford taste the McAMS R1 for the first time, completing two sessions of the Cheshire track to familiarise himself with the bike before he rolls out in opening free practice later this month.
Stapleford said: “I’m really excited to be riding the McAMS Yamaha at Oulton Park and feel privileged to have been asked to stand in. We managed to get some laps in at Oulton on a practice day which will save us some time in FP1 and allow us to crack straight on with the job. I’ll be honest, after riding the bike I can’t stop smiling!
“I know just how difficult it will be with the depth of the field in BSB but having ridden the bike already I am confident we can do a respectable job. I’d like to say a massive thanks to Steve and Chris for thinking of me and I can’t wait to get to the race meeting!”
Team owner Steve Rodgers added: “Oulton Park is one of the most technical and challenging circuits on the BSB calendar and riding a Superbike isn’t easy at the best of times, so we wanted to find someone who had experience of riding a Superbike at Oulton Park. Considering everything, Luke did a solid job for OMG earlier this year, finishing all three races and improving throughout the weekend, so he was the perfect option for us. We’re looking forward to seeing what he can do. It’s a one-round only deal as we already had plans in place for the final two meetings.”