The one-round deal was announced during the course of this weekend, as the German outfit was eagerly trying to secure a replacement for their injured rider Roland Resch (who broke his collarbone during the season opening round at Phillip Island).
Nevertheless, both teams have insisted that this deal is only for one event, as the Italian organization is planning to resolve all their financial problems in due time and appear on the WSBK grid from as early as April 11th, in Valencia.
“I am grateful to Team Reitwagen BMW for giving me this opportunity to race with them in Portimao. Although this will be my first time racing a BMW, I have seen what it can do and am confident that I can ride it at its full potential,” said the Japanese veteran, whose first taste of the BMW bike will happen this week, at Jerez (during a 2-day session).
“We are happy to welcome Makoto in our team, even if it's just for one event only and we are happy about the perfect co-operation with his team Pro Ride Superbike. With his wealth of Superbike and GP experience and capabilities, he is very worthy asset to our team and we are sure he will further help us develop and understand our bike during our private tests in Jerez,” added the German team, via a statement.
Tamada will join regular Reitwagen rider Andrew Pitt in the team’s lineup for Portimao.
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