While Franco Bourne continues to recover Tom Ward will ride for Rapid Honda at Cadwell Park.

Tom Ward will deputise for Franco Bourne on the Rapid Honda. The Pirelli National Superstock rider will line up on the British Superbike grid this weekend at Cadwell Park, whilst Bourne continues to recover from injuries he sustained at Thruxton.

Ward recently celebrated victory in the Pirelli National Superstock class at Brands Hatch. He also sits in fifth place in the standings on his Armada Marine Cables Honda machine.

Ward said: “I'm really excited and grateful for the opportunity to ride this weekend at Cadwell Park. It's great to be riding a Honda and especially with Rapid as we already have a great relationship with the team. I'm excited for the challenge and feel ready to take this opportunity. There's no expectation - just to go out, enjoy and hopefully progress with the bike and team. I need to thank Rapid for this great opportunity.”

Rapid Honda Team Owner, Matt Bainbridge commented: “Tom was the clear choice for us to deputise for Franco and the only call we made. He has shown obvious speed this year, winning at Brands Hatch and other podiums in Superstock. Rapid Honda have been supporting his Armada Marine Cables Racing team during the season too, which is another reason we know Tom was the perfect choice.  Thank you to them for fully supporting Tom standing in this weekend too.”

“Cadwell Park is one of the most physically demanding circuits on the calendar," explained Bainbridge. "So we’ve made the mutual decision with Franco to sit him out of this round so he can continue his recovery.

“His pace and speed are evident now, so we don’t need to rush his recovery and we are working together to ensure that he is fully fit for the next round at Oulton Park. We have also scheduled a test beforehand so there is no reason why we won’t be back up to speed straight away.