After a couple of weeks of negotiation, Ducati and Alstare Racing have officially announced their signing a two-year agreement for the Belgian team run by Francis Batta to handle the Bologna factory’s World Superbike racing efforts with the new 1199 Panigale. The team’s rider lineup will consist of former World Superbike champion Carlos Checa and former World Superstock champion Ayrton Badovini. The team will officially be known as Team Ducati Alstare.
The Ducati Alstare squad won’t be wasting any time getting started, as they are slated to participate in the WSBK pre-winter tests scheduled for November 14-15 at the Aragon circuit and the Jerez test on November 28-30.
“At Ducati, we are very happy and confident with this agreement,” commented Ernesto Marinelli, Ducati Superbike Project Manager, the press release. “The professionalism, passion and sporting character of Francis Batta and all his staff, together with his structure, which sets an industry standard in terms of equipment and organization, are vital elements for our future plans. We have a lot of work to do, and I am sure that we are able to do it in the best possible way.”
This isn’t the first time that Alstare and Ducati have partnered together in a race team. When Batta first made his foray into racing in 1995, he ran a privateer Ducati team running in the World Superbike, World Supersport, and European Supersport classes until 1998.
“For me, it’s an absolute thrill to be able to join the Ducati family again,” commented Francis Batta on the two-year agreement with the factory. “Together, we were so successful in the past and Ducati remains a reference brand for me today. We are going to face a challenge which is highly stimulating both for me and for my team and we will apply our absolute best efforts to making sure this is a successful endeavour.”