Chris Walker moves from superbikes to sidecars

Superbike star Chris Walker is swapping two wheels for three after signing up for the British Sidecar Championships next year.

The 43-year-old, from Ollerton, will take part with the experienced Santander Salt Kawasaki team.

He will soon begin testing before making his racing debut at Oulton Park in May.

Riders hit speeds of up to 170mph in the most extreme series to feature at MCE BSB events.

Walker raced in the British Superbike Championship for 20 years, finishing sixth in the 2014 season with Kawasaki.

His Be Wiser Kawasaki team folded in the middle of the 2015 season, leaving Walker without a team to complete the season. He was eventually ranked 18th.

He is excited about the challenge ahead, comparing it to the feeling he had when he first raced in the Superbike class.

“The BSB paddock feels like my home and so I am excited by this completely new challenge, especially as the British Sidecar Championship is going from strength to strength,” he said.

“I guess the last time I had this feeling of the complete unknown was my first Superbike race in 1995.”

Walker said the biggest change would be the mechanics of the sidecar compared with the motorbike.

“I don’t know what to expect and that is what I think excited me the most,” he said.

“The sidecar is completely different in terms of gearing and braking so I am sure that will be something for me to get my head around. I have the security of some great team-mates and good people around me who I can learn from.”

Walker doesn’t know what to expect from the coming season, but admits expecting immediate success might be optimistic.

“I am realistic about the season. I will approach it like I did when I first raced Superbikes and that is to learn from more experienced team mates,” he said.

“Hopefully the same thought process that worked for me in my Superbike career will replicate on to three wheels as well.

“The team has shown faith in me by giving me this opportunity and I am excited to get started.”