After the winter break, the Ducati Xerox Team is fighting fit and ready to return to the racetrack! The Superbike World Championship gets underway on 28th February at Phillip Island, Australia, and the factory squad and its riders are more than prepared for action. Winter testing on board the Ducati 1198 machines brought positive results which further encourage the team ahead of 2010’s opening round.

Both Noriyuki Haga and Michel Fabrizio, second and third respectively in the 2009 rider standings, are back on board for the coming season and the Ducati Xerox Team, under the direction of new Project Manager Ernesto Marinelli, and strengthened by the arrival of two new track engineers in the shape of Marco Lozej and Luca Ferraccioli, is hungry to improve on last year’s results. In a series that has traditionally been dominated by Australians, Americans and British riders, and despite the dominance of the Japanese and Italian machinery, there has still never been a Japanese or Italian rider crowned World Superbike champion!

Title sponsorship of the squad remains unchanged, with Ducati’s agreement with Xerox in place until 2011, but there is a change to the team logo, in line with the launch of the new Ducati Corse logo in November.

In 2009, the Ducati Xerox Team took its sixteenth manufacturers title, thanks to the successes of both Noriyuki and Michel. In his first season with Borgo Panigale’s factory squad, Noriyuki Haga took eight race wins including double wins at Valencia and Kyalami, and 19 podium finishes in all; he led the championship for most of the season and fought until the bitter end, but unfortunately lost out on the 2009 World Superbike riders title by just six points to Yamaha’s Spies. At the end of his second season with the Ducati Xerox Team, Michel Fabrizio closed the championship in third position overall, with 382 points, having achieved three race wins at Monza, Imola and Portimao and a notable total of 15 podiums during the year.

Despite a worldwide economic crisis, seven manufacturers will participate in the 2010 Superbike season, with all teams having now confirmed their rider line-ups. The “new”, or returning, entries include Chris Vermeulen on board with Kawasaki, Britons Cal Crutchlow and James Toseland on the factory Yamahas, as well as Leon Camier riding the Aprilia and Sylvain Guintoli with Suzuki. Ducati Xerox is not the only squad to retain its 2009 line-up, as over in BMW too the situation remains unchanged with a contract extension for veterans Ruben Xaus and Troy Corser. Team Ten Kate Honda meanwhile gains Max Neukirchner to ride alongside Jonathan Rea, Suzuki pairs Leon Haslam with Guintoli and Kawasaki signs up Tom Sykes along with Vermeulen. Italian Max Biaggi continues with Aprilia, with young Camier as second rider. Ducati’s new privateer outfit Team Althea Racing is on board with Carlos Checa and Shane Byrne while other private teams include “new entry” Echo CRS Honda Racing that has struck a deal with Australian rider Broc Parkes; Squadra Corse Italia also with Honda machinery, and rider Vittorio Iannuzzo; Makoto Tamada with the Honda Pro Ride Team and Reitwagen Motorsport BMW who will line up with riders Andrew Pitt and Roland Resch.

With so much talent on track, the World Superbike Championship is guaranteed to be yet another nail-biter. Be sure to tune in to the action that gets underway at Phillip Island on 28th February!