Michael Rutter is one of the most experienced riders in the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship with over 360 race starts and 28 race wins to his credit and today (Wednesday) 'The Blade' confirmed he will be back this season as he lines up with the MSS Colchester Kawasaki team.

Rutter brings a wealth of knowledge to Nick Morgan's squad as the team prepares for the forthcoming season and the changes to the technical regulations. Rutter ended last season eighth overall after he narrowly missed out on a Title Fighter position in the Showdown with a crash at Cadwell Park that left him sidelined with broken ribs. However after winning the Macau GP at the end of last year for a record seventh time he is relishing the return to the team and to Kawasaki.


Rutter said:

"This is going to be an interesting year for everybody, but I have obviously been with Nick and the team before so know what to expect from them and I am looking forward to getting back on the Kawasaki again. I know the power is good and having watched the riders clocking up podiums last year, I could see the whole machine is a good package. The new rules mean a big change and for me, I either wanted to be riding a Kawasaki or a Honda this year so the option to join the MSS team was great. They already started work towards the end of last season on the new spec Superbike, but so did WFR Honda as they have also been testing so I think they should be starting the year strongly.

"The rule changes don't bother me as the good riders and teams will still be up there, but at the same time I think we might see some riders might struggle at the beginning of the season and that is when we really need to make sure we are getting the results. I missed out on the top six in the Showdown last season through that crash but this year I want to be back in that top six again. We need to be aiming for results early on as I also think that the bikes will change a lot during the season so it is important to score well from the start. I am definitely hoping that some of my experience of all the different bikes over the years will benefit me, but at the same time if you are a good rider then you should be able to ride anything."

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