Epis to race with Outdo TPR Team Pedercini
Epis, who is no stranger to the WorldSBK paddock having raced in WorldSSP for several seasons following his first appearance in the European Junior Cup, is understandably excited to make his FIM Superbike World Championship debut in 2021.
In recent years Lachlan has contested the FIM Europe STK600 series before he moved into Supersport in 2016, where he scored his first World Supersport Championship points during the 2017 season finale at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar.
Lachlan Epis
“I was quite surprised to receive a call last week about an opportunity to race in WorldSBK with Outdo TPR Team Pedercini. With no racing going on in Australia for the next few months due to the pandemic it was a no brainer to book a flight to Europe to compete with one of the most established and respected teams at one of the highest levels of racing. I’ve raced multiple seasons in World Supersport, including another replacement rider gig in 2020, so I know two of the three tracks I’m going to next. Barcelona will be a new challenge for me and I’m looking forward to it! I have to say a big thank you to the team as racing in world Superbikes has been a goal since I first came to Europe in 2014. Can’t wait to get stuck in next week!“
Over the past couple of seasons, he has raced in both the British and Australian Superbike series and recently hit his best form on home soil with NextGen BMW.
He will ride alongside team-mate Loris Cresson. The 23-year-old Belgian has only scored three points so far this season on the Pedercini ZX-10RR and recorded a last place finish at Magny-Cours last weekend, 67-seconds behind the race winner.
Epis will join the team from the Catalunya round that will be staged on the weekend of September 17-19.
Lucio Pedercini
“I am happy to bring Lachlan back to the World Superbike paddock. He is a young rider who has made a big step in the last few years. We look forward to working with him for the remainder of 2021, beginning at the next round in Spain, and are excited to see what he can do. For the Australian fans it will also be great for them to have a local rider to cheer.”
Once a strong force in World Superbike, the series has not had an Australian on the permanent entry list since 2016.
WorldSBK Championship Points
| Pos | Rider | Points |
| 1 | Toprak Razgatlioglu | 370 |
| 2 | Jonathan Rea | 363 |
| 3 | Scott Redding | 298 |
| 4 | Andrea Locatelli | 186 |
| 5 | Alex Lowes | 176 |
| 6 | Michael Ruben Rinaldi | 172 |
| 7 | Tom Sykes | 159 |
| 8 | Michael Van Der Mark | 154 |
| 9 | Garrett Gerloff | 147 |
| 10 | Alvaro Bautista | 115 |
| 11 | Chaz Davies | 114 |
| 12 | Axel Bassani | 100 |
| 13 | Leon Haslam | 78 |
| 14 | Lucas Mahias | 41 |
| 15 | Tito Rabat | 38 |
| 16 | Kohta Nozane | 32 |
| 17 | Isaac Vinales | 20 |
| 18 | Christophe Ponsson | 18 |
| 19 | Jonas Folger | 14 |
| 20 | Eugene Laverty | 14 |
| 21 | Leandro Mercado | 8 |
| 22 | Marvin Fritz | 6 |
| 23 | Loris Cresson | 3 |
| 24 | Andrea Mantovani | 2 |
| 25 | Luke Mossey | 2 |
2021 WorldSBK Calendar
| Date | Track | SBK | SS600 | SS300 |
| 17-19 Sep | Catalunya (Spain) | X | X | X |
| 24-26 Sep | Jerez (Spain) | X | X | X |
| 1-3 Oct | Portimao (Portugal) | X | X | X |
| 15-17 Oct | San Juan Villicum (Argentina) | X | X | |
| 12-14 Nov | Mandalika*** (Indonesia) | X | X |
Source: MCNews.com.au