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Lack of MotoGP success prompted WSBK move, says Bradl

Honda's World Superbike newcomer Stefan Bradl says he joined the series because there were no MotoGP options that would allow him to be "back on the podium".

Stefan Bradl, Honda World Superbike Team

Stefan Bradl, Honda World Superbike Team

Honda Racing

Stefan Bradl, Honda World Superbike Team
Stefan Bradl, Honda World Superbike Team
Stefan Bradl, Honda World Superbike Team
Nicky Hayden, Honda World Superbike Team, Stefan Bradl, Honda World Superbike Team
Nicky Hayden, Honda World Superbike Team, Stefan Bradl, Honda World Superbike Team
Stefan Bradl, Honda World Superbike Team
Stefan Bradl, Honda World Superbike Team
Stefan Bradl, Honda World Superbike Team
Stefan Bradl, Honda World Superbike Team
Stefan Bradl, Honda World Superbike Team
Nicky Hayden, Honda World Superbike Team, Stefan Bradl, Honda World Superbike Team

At the end of 2016, Bradl ended his MotoGP career of five seasons, having spent the first three of them with LCR Honda.

He scored a podium and a pole position with the squad before leaving for Forward Racing in 2015 and then switching to Aprilia in the middle of the season.

He couldn't do better than seventh during his one and a half season with the Italian manufacturer and found himself without a ride when Aprilia opted for a brand new line-up of Aleix Espargaro and Sam Lowes.

While Bradl had options to stay in the series, with an Avintia Ducati offer known to have been on the table, the German admitted Honda’s tie-up with Red Bull in WSBK seemed to be the perfect environment for success compared to another year with a MotoGP satellite team.

"It was just kind of a plan B to see what options I have in Superbike but it was coming to be more as a plan A as more time went during the last season," Bradl said at Honda's team launch in Salzburg.

"Basically it started quite early in last year's season when I had the first meetings with Honda.

"I had a couple of options to stay in MotoGP, which were not that good. I mean, they did not look bad but once I started to have more interest in this project with Honda later on, I knew quite early that Red Bull was involved and all these little details to make this move to Superbike.

"Just on my own, I was very interested to come back on the podium and I think that, especially with these partners, with this project with Honda, with the new Fireblade, everything just told me that it is going to be a great option and then I just decided to make it.

"Obviously I think it's going to be a long-term project, that's what I hope for and like all the partners we have here, we are ready and we are prepared for doing great things in the near future.

"If I stay in MotoGP, I need to kind of have a success when I'm riding, top 10, which I didn't have in the last couple of seasons - and you know I hope to get back to more success in Superbike with all the partners and this project that we have here."

Top six goal at Phillip Island, podiums later on

Honda's World Superbike outfit has introduced a new-generation Fireblade for the upcoming season.

The team had experienced some issues with the bike during the pre-season tests and Bradl expects that the first couple of rounds will still be about developing the machinery.

However, he aims to finish in the top six in Round 1 at Phillip Island and is hoping to challenge for podiums as the year progresses.

"I hope that we can be much closer than [we were] in the test, we know that we will be more competitive.

"I think we need some more time to see the first races as a development time but I also think we can hopefully be in the top six, that's what we're aiming for.”

"The competition is strong because Kawasaki and Ducati are one or two steps ahead of us but, with all the package, when we get the next updates in Aragon and following some updates by the mid-season, I hope that we will be ready to challenge for the podium.”

Tyre wear woes

Bradl elaborated on the issues the bike had during the tests at Jerez and Portimao, saying an electronics problem was causing increased tyre wear.

"In Jerez the edge grip was quite poor but we found out that especially in Portimao when we tested there it was very a similar situation and we knew that it's coming from the electronics.

"It was not on a good level, we just burn the tyre very early and, as the new engine has more power in the bottom, it delivers too much on the rear tyres so we destroyed it, basically, very early.

"We need to find some smoother electronics settings to save the tyres better so automatically we can have more grip.”

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