Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki team boss Paul Bird has confirmed that Noriyuki Haga will replace Keith Farmer in his squad for the MCE British Superbike round at Assen.

bikesportnews.com revealed the move earlier today with Bird saying he is delighted to have secured the services of the Samurai of Slide. He will ride in all three Showdown rounds which leaves Farmer out in the cold.

"I have always admired Nori throughout his career and it's fair to say he's one of my heroes so I'm delighted to have the chance to work with him. He's proven throughout his career that he's a great rider and showed at the tracks he knew last year that he could still be very competitive," said Bird.

"He was on pole position at Assen last year and rode a couple of brilliant races so despite not doing a lot of racing this year, he'll be very strong. He loves all three Showdown tracks and if he can also help Shakey's bid for the title, all well and good."