Karl Harris gets Aprilia Superstock ride

Karl Harris’s career has been saved at the 11th hour with an Aprilia RSV4 ride in the National Superstock championship.

Harris had a difficult 2009 season after being sacked late in the year, even though he was still running fifth in the points.

He then rode one of Rob McElnea’s Yamahas and the SMT Honda –  and was on the shopping list of several BSB teams this year but narrowly missed out on tying a deal with MSM Kawasaki  when they picked Gary Mason instead.

Now Harris is re-uniting with former backers Brent Gladwin and Tony Robinson who sponsored him back in 1999 when he won the European Superstock  – ironically beating the factory Aprilia team to the title!

Team owner Gladwin was trying to broker the MSS deal for Harris but when it all fell through he hatched, what he thought at the time was a pie in the sky plan.

“I said to Karl, ‘it’s ten years since the European Superstock title. Why don’t we thrown a cat among the pigeons here and do superstock?’”

The deal is officially backed by Aprilia which means Harris will have a direct line to the factory for any technical support.

The team is planning to sign a second rider but are still working through a short list of potential candidates.