Former British Superbike front runner Leon Haslam has been confirmed as Sylvain Guintoli's team-mate in the Alstare Suzuki World Superbike squad for next season, with current rider Yukio Kagayama returning to the British series.

In what was a poorly-kept secret, Haslam switches from the Stiggy Honda team he started this year with and gets a full factory ride in 2010 - something he says offers him a huge step forward.

The opportunity to join Team Suzuki Alstare was something that my father and I took extremely seriously immediately. The team enjoys direct support from the manufacturer and a long history of success, so joining them offers me an exciting step forward in my career," said Haslam.

"Meeting Francis (Batta) and listening to his plans and desire to succeed confirmed the potential of the whole team and its infrastructure. Suzuki Alstare has a very experienced team of technicians and potential for development, both in-house and via the factory in Japan. This means that the team is 100 per cent geared up to win the 2010 World Superbike Championship.

"This is naturally opening a new chapter in my own career and one that I relish. The team has a promising winter test plan (with the Suzuki factory) so I’m very much looking forward to these tests, the 2010 World Superbike Championship and challenging for the world title.”