Vermeulen looking forward to Aussie opener
Added on Wednesday, February 10th, 2010 by Carole Nash Editor
Vermeulen looking forward to Aussie opener
Former MotoGP rider Chris Vermeulen is preparing to make his Kawasaki bow on his home circuit later this month as he returns to the World Superbike championship.
Vermeulen, who left WSB in 2005 for a career in MotoGP, will return to the championship with the ambitious Kawasaki team for 2010 and quickly realised that the 1000cc series have moved on dramatically in those five years.
“It seems that there are a lot of things that have changed, especially from a technical point of view,” he told the WSB website. “The bikes have evolved a lot, the technology in the equipment and the amount of effort the manufacturers have put into the championship has really come on. Now we can see that there are seven manufacturers. There are also a lot of things that are the same, including some of the faces that you see around, journalists, mechanics, IMS staff – a lot of those people are quite familiar.
“There will be a few new circuits for me, of course. It kind of feels like home in a way because I guess I grew up in this championship. Three years in Supersport and two in SBK. I just know so many people there.”
But the 27-year-old Queenslander is happy to be making his return to the championship on home soil, with the opening round taking place later this month at Phillip Island.
“It is great to make the next step in my career at Phillip Island,” he added. “All my family live in Australia, I know the track well, and I will have the support of the Aussie crowd. Hopefully I can put on a good show for the Aussie fans.”
