Niki Tuuli has abandoned his World Supersport plans for the season and switched to Moto2 with Johann Stigefelt’s SIC Racing squa, making his debut at Le Mans this weekend.

The Finnish rider has struggled in WorldSSP after joining CIA Honda so had done a deal with the Malaysian-based squad as a replacement for the Zulfahmi Khairuddin who has stopped racing and taken on a mentor role in the team.

“First of all I want say thanks to SIC Racing Team for this opportunity. I’m really excited and looking forward to this upcoming challenge. Moto2 has been one of my dreams and now it’s a reality. I’ve been riding 600cc bikes since 2012; the first six years with Yamaha and now this season I’ve been riding with Honda,” said Tuuli.

“Obviously Moto2 is different to Supersport but the SIC Racing Team is a good team with lots of experience, so with their help I believe I can adapt well to the Moto2 class. I have only a little experience with Kalex. I got a chance to try it at the end of 2016. I’m now anxiously waiting to ride it again. I know Kalex is excellent, so I’m really thrilled to get this ride.

“Everything will be new for me at Le Mans, the track, the bike and the team, so I need to go step by step. Now it’s not about any pressure, I just want to learn all the new things properly. Of course I want to do the best result I can and perform as well as possible, but at the same time I need to be patient and focus on adapting to the Moto2 class every lap and every session.”