Jordi Torres exits MIE Racing, replaced by Lorenzo Gabellini

MIE Racing has announced a change to its rider line-up ahead of the resumption of the 2020 WorldSBK Championship season with Italian racer Lorenzo Gabellini primed to make his debut on the international stage.

First announced back in February, at the time Spanish racer Torres had been planning to make his debut with the official Honda satellite team from round three onwards, prior to the season being put on hold due to the coronavirus.

However, since Torres was planning to dovetail his WorldSBK commitments with a season of MotoE, the subsequent overhaul of schedules means he is unable to perform in both series’.

His premature exit means Gabellini will make his WorldSBK debut on July 31-Aug 2nd in Jerez having recently made his debut with the team in the CIV Superbike series on the back of clinching the 2019 Italian Supersport Championship, 

“Racing in the World Superbike Championship has been my dream since I was a child and obviously now, I'm very happy and excited that my dream has come true, something for which I wish to thank Genesio Bevilacqua and Midori Moriwaki.

“This opportunity came unexpectedly but I am ready to work hard to deserve it and to grow in the MIE Racing Althea Honda Team and with the Honda. It is a great challenge, but I am ready and looking forward to it.”

MIE Racing – which has evolved from the Moriwaki Althea Honda team – will be running a pair of Hondas for the first time in Spain, with Takumi Takahashi continuing alongside his new stablemate.