Despite being a former MotoGP and Superbike winner Makoto Tamada went off the racing radar almost all of last year.
In 2010 the Japanese rider had signed a deal with Pro Ride, a team that was great in press releases, but nothing else, having never taken part in a single race, thus leaving him jobless.
Tamada copped a ride as a replacement for injured Roland Resch at the WSBK Portimao round with Reitwagen BMW, another team who withdrew due to the usual funding problems and then took part in the 2010 Suzuka 8 Hours, where his Keihin Kohara Racing Team finished second in the legendary endurance race.
After the second place at Suzuka, Tamada will now be riding full time with the same team in the All Japan Superbike Championship taking the place of Shinichi Itoh, who after twenty years of racing has decided to retire.