Lucas Mahias promoted to 2021 WorldSBK grid with Puccetti Kawasaki

WorldSSP Champion Lucas Mahias will be present on the grid for the 2021 WorldSBK Championship after landing a promotion from Puccetti Kawasaki in what will be his maiden tilt at Superbikes racing.

Following confirmation ahead of the most recent WorldSBK round in Magny-Cours that it will not be extending its agreement with Xavi Fores, Puccetti Racing has now revealed its WorldSSP rider Mahias will replace him on the Kawasaki ZX-10RR.

The 2017 WorldSSP Champion with Yamaha, in 2019 Mahias switched loyalties to Kawasaki and the Puccetti outfit that operates the factory backed effort.

Though Mahias has had to contend with formidable competition from the vast numbers of arguably more competitive Yamaha YZF-R6 entries, he has still managed to click off three victories - including one on home soil in France this weekend - plus 13 podiums in just under two seasons.

With Puccetti Kawasaki eager to get back to form in 2021 after Fores - with a season’s best finish of just eighth place - fell well short of the podiums and wins his predecessor Toprak Razgatlioglu managed in 2019, Mahias is thrilled with his new WorldSBK opportunity.

“This is the best news for me, I’m really happy; it is the sweetest moment of my career. When I come to World Championships, I had one dream to win in World Supersport and in 2017, I did that. I tried to win again, and it was a little bit difficult. 

“Now, in my head, the second dream is exactly the same in World Superbike. When I arrive at Puccetti Kawasaki I thought that maybe, with the Superbike in the box, if I can ride fast in WorldSSP then maybe I can have the Superbike in the future. 

“It’s a start of a new adventure with a lot of work but I’m ready for this challenge. I don’t have any goals for the moment apart from to improve step-by-step.

“For the moment, I don’t have a big objective, just to improve and to understand things for the future to ride at the front.”

Mahias has previously started two races in WorldSBK, scoring a top ten result on his debut with Pedercini Kawasaki in Assen.