Moto Rapido Ducati has announced that the current Italian Superbike champion, Matteo Baiocco, has signed with them for the 2013 MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship in a move that is being widely discussed within the sport. The Italian born racer is another national champion to join the BSB for this year following in the footsteps of Asian Road Race winner Ryuichi Kiyonari and also Australian Josh Waters. Indeed, Baiocco is not entirely new to the British Superbike Championship as he made a one off appearance during the penultimate round at Silverstone in 2012 however this will be his first campaign on the circuit and big things are expected from the 28 year old. I look forward to the challenge of the riders in BSB and do my best to be competitive in the best national series of the world" - Matteo Baiocco. Moto Rapido Ducati are not themselves directly related to the Ducati brand and, having been formed in 2002 by enthusiasts of the iconic racing team, have since went on to be official recognized by Ducati UK. Indeed, since their humble beginnings as an independent outlet, the company has now received Performance Specialist status. Even though they try and maintain their independence they do have close links with both the Ducati brand in the UK as well as Ducati Corse, the official racing wing of the bike manufacturers. "Firstly I am really pleased to continue our project in BSB with Ducati and I am very happy to have put pen to paper with Matteo over the Christmas break. He is quite a character and I am sure the BSB fans will love him. - Steve Moore, team owner Baiocco was quick to thank team owner Steve Moore for giving him the chance to race for the Moto Rapido Ducati team in 2013. Indeed, the move is expected to benefit both parties greatly as, not only is Baiocco getting the chance to prove himself over the course of a season on the BSB but he has close links with Ducati Corse which can only be advantageous to the Winchester based team. There has already been much talk and analysis of the move on various Ducati and racing related forums with some fans and observers arguing that this could be a pivotal moment for a Ducati team on the BSB circuit as they haven’t, according to many, achieved a lot of success since the days of Airwaves Ducati.
