Harris back on track with Triumph

Former European Superstock and three times British Supersport Champion, Karl Harris has signed with the Oxford Tag Triumph team to ride the Daytona 675 in the British Supersport Championship for the remainder of the 2010 season.

The 30-year-old from Sheffield has signed for Rob Winfield’s Triumph Supersport team following a difficult start to the year campaigning an uncompetitive machine in the Superstock shampionship.

Looking as fit and as motivated as ever before, Harris brings to the team a wealth of experience in the Supersport class with a proven pedigree and the confidence that he can start bringing in the results that both he and the Triumph Daytona 675 are capable of.

Karl will be reunited with two of his former race technicians, namely Lee Machin and Carl Buckle who worked alongside Harris during his time with the Hydrex Honda team.

Harris said: “This is a great opportunity for me to come back to British Championship racing on a competitive machine and it’s one that I don’t intend to waste.

“Knowing that the bike is capable of winning and that the team are right behind me is all the motivation I need to train harder than ever to make sure I’m race-fit and razor-sharp for Brands Hatch.

“The Aprilia wasn’t competitive in Superstock but hopefully qualifying fifth and running at the front on SMT Honda’s spare bike as a one-off proved a point as did qualifying an old 2007-spec Yamaha R1 on the second row in British Superbikes at Mallory Park.

“I know I can perform at this level and my aim is to be on the podium from the word go.

“I don’t want to sound big-headed but there’s no-one in Supersport that I can’t beat and I’ve every confidence in both the team and machine. I really can’t tell you how excited I am about the coming weeks!”

Karl will test the bike over the next couple of weeks as the team focus on getting the triple-champion accustomed to the Triumph Daytona’s unique engine and chassis character.

Team boss Rob Winfield added: “Karl’s still a great rider and still very much capable of winning races at the highest domestic level.

“He has had a few ups and downs over the last couple of seasons and he knows that to compete and get the results he’s capable of he needs to focus on his approach to racing a little differently.

“Having spoken to him at length, and having seen how committed he is to getting down to a competitive race weight and back to full fitness, I’m confident that Karl can do a great job for us and get the Triumph Daytona 675 back where it deserves to be – at the front of the pack.

“Everyone at Oxford Tag Triumph is excited about our latest signing and we are all looking forward to working with one of the most talented and popular riders in the paddock.”