Silly season is in full swing in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship, with rider after rider getting linked with the top jobs and few confirmations heading into the summer. We know that Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) will remain until 2020 with his championship-winning team; as for his partner, however, all bets are off.

In the aftermath of the GEICO US Round, Speedweek.com reports that Rea could face the 2019 season with a familiar face alongside him – but not Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK). According to the German website, Leon Haslam is in talks with Kawasaki to take the second factory bike in 2019 and make his full-time return to WorldSBK.

Speedweek also quotes Haslam, who confirmed that the option is open: “I have not signed anything yet, but everything is possible. Riding for the factory team would be a dream. I hope I know more this week”.

The ‘Pocket Rocket’, as he is affectionately known, already teamed up with Rea back in 2013 and 2014 on a Honda, before moving to the Aprilia works bike for one year. In 2016, Haslam set off to the British Superbike championship where he remains to this day, but the 2010 WorldSBK runner-up has never quite left the world stage behind, making several wildcard appearances since. This season, Haslam joined the Kawasaki Puccetti team for both the Imola and Donington rounds.

The full article on Speedweek.com can be read here.

Catch all the highlights from Haslam’s wildcard appearances thanks to the WorldSBK VideoPass.