Spanish WorldSBK star Xavi Fores will be back in the Bennetts British Superbike series to partner Peter Hickman in the new FHO BMW team.

Fores, who raced for Puccetti Kawasaki on the world stage this year, spent 2019 with the works Honda squad in BSB so already has personal data for all the tracks.

“I enjoyed my time in BSB but maybe not so much in WorldSBKlast season, so to come back with such a high level team is a chance for me to sort some unfinished business in the championship,” said Fores.

“The level of competition, machinery and the support from the fans in Britain is incredible and I must say really surprised me to start with.

“When I raced here in 2019 I had never seen these tracks and many were very tricky to beat experienced regular riders, but now I feel confident that with one year of experience and better preparation, we can do much better.

“I have been in contact regularly with Faye, she is very motivated, and the project is very strong to give us the tools to fight at the front.”

The multiple European Champion took four podiums in BSB when he competed in 2019, despite having never ridden most of the challenging UK circuits before, so he will be much more prepared this time around.

Fores, who hails from Valencia, is no stranger to ultra-competitive racing having previously raced in MotoGP (125cc, Moto2 and MotoGP classes), World Supersport as well as WorldSBK.