With his current RC Squadra Corse BMW team not competing at races any longer, Eugene Laverty was at Navarra trying to sort out his WorldSBK future, this year possibly but next year definitely.

He is extra keen to stay inside the BMW ‘family’ with Scott Redding joining Michael van der Mark in the factory squad for 2022, as Laverty thinks the general bike development direction will improve.

“I guess the development’s fast-forwarded this year, you would say. Last year there were two opposing comments, and Tom was often able to go faster than me on that bike. But now with the backup of van der Mark and [Jonas] Folger reiterating the same comments, then it’s clear,” Laverty explained from Spain.

“That’s why it’s happening quite quickly, the progress. So that’s what BMW’s plan was, come to fruition, when you have four riders then things go much quicker. I’ve been meeting with BMW to see what the options are.

“This year almost feels like we want to do 2021, next year, get a good shot at it. It depends on the satellite team and what else is going on there. I’d like to still be part of it, because I was involved in the project last year when the bike was far away. It’s really made some big steps forward, so I want to exploit that,” he confirmed.

There may be other bikes or rides in Laverty’s opportunities for next year, but not having to learn a whole new bike in 2022 also seems attractive to Laverty, it seems.

“It’s true, because of my position the last few years, I haven’t many results to boast about, but I do know the potential of something like the Ducati because that was the last bike I rode before the BMW. So I would consider there as well. It’s a hard one because I have to get back and actually show that I’ve got the speed, and I’m not able to do that right now. I haven’t got much to talk about.”

After an ill-fated but more-or-less unavoidable MotoGP experience, it has been a relatively tough return for the Northern Irishman in WorldSBK after being such a potent force for Yamaha and Aprilia some years ago, and a race winner on a Suzuki, too.

“People forget the year that I finished second in the world championship (2013, with Aprilia) and was left without a factory seat. I was fortunate Suzuki picked me up at the last minute, otherwise I could have been on the sidelines with a number two plate beside my name.

“It was difficult to go out of Phillip Island, but a bike that was good around Phillip Island wasn’t able to do much anywhere else. There wasn’t really any front-running seats, and that’s why I went to MotoGP. It’s not like I went from finishing second in the world championship to MotoGP. I had that interim year in 2014.

“This is racing. It’s the whole package. It’s not just about the rider. You have to be in the right package, the right team. So we’ll try to fight to get back there. It’s tougher than ever at Superbike. That’s the problem. You do remember whenever the likes of Johnny was on the Honda and Johnny could ride the wheels off it, and pull out one win a year and some podiums. You can’t do that anymore in World Superbike. It’s tougher.

“Then on the flip-side it’s also got to do with the rules. The satellite teams give you a chance. MotoGP did it and Stuart Higgs has done it in BSB. World Superbike were a bit later to the party, but now we’ve really landed. That’s why the next few years is going to be good for Superbike because we’re going to have a lot of potential winners.”