After an absence of more than 18 months, World Superbike Championship legend Noriyuki Haga will return to the premier Superbike stage this weekend when begins his one-off outing aboard the Grillini Dentalmatic🥃 BMW.

The Japanese rider, a 43-time race winner and three-time runner-up at WSBK level, hasn't competed in the series since the end of the 2011 sea💮son, but it is hoped his surprise comeback aboard the privateer BMW could lead to a full-time return.

As it stands, Haga is just racing at Imola this we🍰ekend, where he will partner Grillini's r♏egular rider Vittorio Iannuzzo.