Parkes back into world Superbike

Two Australians will be on factory machinery in the 2009 Superbike World Championship with news that Broc Parkes will be a part of the revamped Kawasaki operation.

The British-based Paul Bird Motorsport will run the official Kawasaki team in 2009 -- taking over the reins from PSG-1 -- with 26-year-old Parkes signed alongside this year's incumbent Makota Tamada.

Parkes previously rode world Superbike in 2001-2002 on a privateer Ducati, with a best finish of fifth in his first of 42 races - at Phillip Island.

Parkes then shifted across to world Supersport, first on a Honda and then Yamaha. He was second in the championship in 2004 and again last year.

After a first-up win in Qatar, his fifth in world Supersport, the rest of 2008 was pretty lean for Parkes, and he eventually finished fourth -- and was subsequently replaced at Yamaha by promising British rider Cal Crutchlow.

Meanwhile, it was a disastrous year for Kawasaki in world Superbike with the all-new ZX-10R under the guidance of Tamada and Regis Laconi, and the switch to Paul Bird Motorsport may be a defining moment for the Japanese manufacturer.

"It's amazing how far we have come in a short space of time and it's an honour to be representing one of the world's leading manufacturers" said Paul Bird, the principal of the eponymous Paul Bird Motorsport. "I remember watching the likes of Scott Russell and Akira Yanagawa being championship contenders on Kawasakis a few years ago and that is where we need to be again.

"In Makoto Tamada, we have a rider who has won in MotoGP and world Superbike and who has lots of experience which will be vital in the early days, and they don't come much more motivated than Broc Parkes. For our small team from 'Up North' to be given this opportunity is fantastic and we aim to repay Kawasaki with interest as this is the stuff of dreams."

Kawasaki's sole world Superbike title came in 1993 with Russell.

Paul Bird Motorsport was a highly successful outfit in British Superbike before it made the move to the world scene in 2008, with Spaniard Gregorio Lavilla piloting a Honda. They nearly scored a podium finish when Lavilla was fourth at Donington Park.

Troy Corser will be the other Aussie in factory colours in 2009, spearheading BMW's fledgling assault on the Superbike title.