For the 2020 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship, Japan will continue to have rider representation on the grid as Takumi Takahashi has been confirmed with the Mie Racing Team. Having rode in numerous WorldSBK races across the last few seasons for Honda and achieving a top ten at Portimao, the 29-year-old will make his full-time WorldSBK debut in 2020.

Takahashi has enjoyed a sparkling career in the All-Japan Road Racing championship across all classes but specifically in Superbike. Starting in 2009, he took his first of 53 podiums in the class, graduating to the class as 250cc champion the year before. In 2010, he took his first win, before going on to achieve 13 more and 10 pole positions. In 2017, he became champion whilst also making his WorldSBK debut for the Red Bull Ten Kate Honda team.

Finishing second in the Japanese Superbike class in 2019 whilst also making his return to WorldSBK action at Portimao, where he was 15th in Race 1. The soon-to-be 30-year-old joins an ever-expanding World Superbike field in 2020, now at 19 riders across five manufacturers and more set to be announced. There is one more rider to join the Mie Racing Team, which will be confirmed in due course.

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