Kent weighs up BSB move with Halsall Racing test

Danny Kent is considering a switch to the Bennetts British Superbike championship in 2019 following his split from the Speed Up team in Moto2 and will test for the Movuno.com Halsall Racing Suzuki squad at Brands Hatch next week.

Following the official confirmation of Kent’s departure from the Speed Up squad, the British rider was at Assen for the BSB round this weekend assessing potential options for his future.

Kent, who has previous links with Halsall Racing team boss Colin Wright, will test for the squad next week at Brands Hatch two days before the start of the BSB finale at the same circuit and says a full-time BSB switch is a strong option for 2019.

“I was given my P45 during the week so I came here this weekend to see what options there were for next year,” the 2015 Moto3 World Champion said. “I think it has been quite a successful trip and Stuart [Higgs] has been helping me out as well. I know Colin [Wright] from a few years ago and we decided to make a test on Wednesday before Brands.

“It could be [a BSB switch], I think that it is going in that direction, and it is all new to me as I have never ridden a road-going bike. I’ve always been on GP bikes so it is a lot to learn but I am up for the challenge.

“It is a very, very competitive class and everyone is going to expect me to do well coming from the world championship but you have to be realistic. I’ve never ridden these kinds of bikes and it has been 12 or 13 years since I last rode these tracks so it is going to be very difficult.”

The Halsall squad withdrew sole BSB entry Chrissy Rouse from the Assen round after Friday practice having felt the 22-year-old hadn’t sufficiently recovered from a broken left hand and right wrist sustained in a crash at Cadwell Park in August.

“Although he has tried his absolute best to perform, I, in consultation with Chrissy and team owner Martin Halsall, have decided to withdraw Chrissy,” Wright said.

“It became very clear that Chrissy is still not 100 percent fit to ride following his Cadwell Park crash and in spite of his efforts on Friday, we have decided that he is not yet strong enough to handle the Movuno.com Halsall Racing Suzuki.

“I appreciate this will come as a big blow to our fans, but our priority will always be the health and welfare of Chrissy and all of the other riders on track.

“It’s a disappointing situation for everyone, but we believe that Chrissy needs time to heal fully, and that it is not worth risking further injury just for one weekend.”

Halsall Racing is expected to confirm its rider line-up for the 2018 BSB finale next week to give Rouse time to recover from his injuries.

While Kent is available if Rouse remains unable to ride, the team’s latest recruit Kyle Ryde could also be called upon having started the year in BSB with CF Motorsport Yamaha. Ryde joined the team earlier this year since leaving BSB to ride a Yamaha YZF-R6 in the British Supersport championship.

Edgar Pons will replace Kent at this weekend's Thai round of the Moto2 World Championship.