Former British Superbike man Chris Burns is to partner multiple F1 World Champion Michael Schumacher in the German IDM Superbike series as a stand-in for regular rider Martin Bauer who has broken his hand.

The Newcastle-upon-Tyne rider was left without a seat for this year after he parted company with the STP Motorsport squad at the beginning of the season. Burns will race the Holzhauer Honda for at least four rounds, starting at the Nurburgriung this weekend.

"I only found out on Monday, so I've had very little time to get things turned around. My manager in Germany has been trying hard to find me something, and he spoke to the team at Holzhauer and they said they wanted me... naturally I said yes straight away," said Burns
 
"This team won the championship last year with Martin Bauer and the bike I will be riding usually has the Number 1 plate so I've got to make the grade when I get out there. They said they want me for four rounds, but this will obviously be reviewed, depending on how well it all goes over the weekend.
 
"Nurburgring is a completely new circuit to me, and this will be my first time on a Honda, so I've got my work cut out. I'm not concerned about having a team-mate as high profile as Michael Schumacher, although I imagine it will be strange effectively being his team leader!
 
"But it's a new challenge for me, and something I can't wait to get my teeth into. I've got an opportunity with  a strong team with a great track record so I'm hoping together we can get some good results this weekend and carry it on for the rest of the season.