Despite an abysmal year in the World Superbike Championship last season, Team Hero EBR will return to the WSBK paddock for 2015. The team’s return is perhaps in name only, as major changes have been made to EBR’s WSBK presence, which will continue to be based out of Italy.

Most notable is Team Hero EBR’s new riders — Larry Pegram and Niccolo Canepa — with Pegram having double-duties, as he will act as the Team Manager in charge of the Pegram Racing crew, which will take over running the Team Hero EBR program.

Many will remember that Larry Pegram brought EBR its only points in the 2014 season, scoring two points at the crash-filled Laguna Seca round.

“This coming season is something very special for me and I can’t wait to get started. Moving to the EBR motorcycles for me was a big deal, as I have wanted forever to see an American brand in performance motorcycles. Although there were only a few AMA races in 2014, my team and I learned the EBR quickly,” said Pegram.

“Our points finish in WSBK at Laguna, and podium finish in the last AMA race weekend show the potential of this motorcycle, and also convinced me and EBR that Pegram Racing could play a major role in moving the EBR World Superbike effort forward,” Pegram continued.

As had been rumored in the latter part of the season, Niccolo Canepa has officially signed on with the Hero EBR team, and he will have the burden of showing what the EBR 1190RX can do in the hands of a world-class rider.

To that tone, Canepa was the runner-up in the 2014 EVO class for the World Superbike Championship, and has experience in both the WSBK and MotoGP paddocks.

“I’m delighted to join with Team Hero EBR for 2015 in the World Superbike championship. This is the perfect opportunity for me to combine my development and my racing skills,” he said.

“Being on track with the EBRs in 2014, it was very exciting for me to see an American motorcycle in our championship, and by the end of 2014 the 1190RX was getting quite fast. They came a long way from mid-season and really got my attention! I am looking forward to being part of the next step up in performance,” added Canepa.

With a year of development under its belt, and now with at least one rider who is familiar with the international venues found on the WSBK, it will be interesting to see what Erik Buell Racing can do on the race track. There are no more excuses left for poor results in 2015.

Source: EBR