Rising star, 19-year-old Franco Bourne steps into the factory Honda Racing UK team temporarily to replace Andrew Irwin, who continues his recovery to full fitness. 

Bourne joined the team as a stand-in after a sensational opening four rounds in the Pirelli National Superstock Championship. Stepping up to race a 1000cc machine for the first time this year with the Marvel HCL Motorsport Team, the team with which he was runner-up in Junior Superstock in 2022.

In just the first round of the season at Silverstone National, his first time racing a Fireblade, he scored an impressive second-place finish. Not content with second, he would go on to win the next race of the meeting to become the early championship points leader. 

The 2020 Honda British Talent Cup champion, continued his seamless adaptation to racing a ‘big bike’ at round two where he backed up his impressive early season form with another podium at the fast and technically challenging Oulton Park Circuit, cementing his credentials as a future star.