Racing Team Germany opt for Watanabe

Nineteen year-old Japanese rider Kazuki Watanabe will ride for Racing Team Germany from this weekend’s Aragón round onwards after an announcement from the team that they have parted company with German rider Arne Tode with immediate effect.

Tode, who missed the previous round at Misano due to injury, had scored just two points in his ten races to date and the team cited a “lack of performance and teamwork” as some of the contributing factors to the decision.

“Kazuki Watanabe will adjust to the Suter MMX machine at Aragón, and we don’t have any expectations for this race,” explained Team Manager Dirk Heidolf. “The race after is his home GP where we will be able to gain a clearer idea of what position we are in.”

“He is very young, talented and, above all, ambitious,” continued Heidolf. “We will see what this brings to our team.”

Watanabe made his World Championship debut in 2008 as a 250cc wild card in his home GP, and finished 14th in last year’s 250cc Japanese GP, again as a wild card.