British fan favourite Ryuichi Kiyonari has signed for the Moriwaki team and will race at home in the All-Japan Superbike series next year.

The Japanese rider has been an established MCE British Superbike star for more than ten years, winning 50 races and three championships but has now decided it’s time to go home.

"I am really excited to be back in the Japanese Championship and back with Honda. To be honest, I took me sometime to make this decision. I have been racing longer in BSB than any other series, and UK is has been my home for long time. I had to choose from the offers I got from teams in BSB, and from Japan, and it was the hardest decision to make.,” said Kiyo.

“But Moriwaki is a well-known team with a long history in racing, and their future plans matched well with what I wanted to do. Being able to return to Honda, also played an important role in this decision. I will be pairing with Yuki (Takahashi) at the Suzuka 8Hours, and I am already looking forward to it.

“I would like to take this opportunity to all the teams and riders at BSB, to MSVR and Stuart Higgs, and to all the fans in the UK for the support they have given me. I will be back in the BSB! I will be racing in a different place next year, but I hope they will continue to support me.

“And to the Japanese fans, I am happy to return to Japan, and that I will be able to show them my riding in front of them. I wish to see them at the circuit.”

Kiyo will also ride in the team’s Suzuki Eight-Hours squad, a race he has won four times.