At one point mentioned, the hypothesis of the return of Danilo Petrucci in the championship of motorcycles from the series, this time in the Superbike category alongside Alvaro Bautista, did not work out. Michael Ruben Rinaldi is therefore officially reconfirmed for 2023 in the official Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team.
The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team with Michael Rinaldi riding the official Ducati Panigale V4R also for the 2023 WorldSBK season
The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team is pleased to announce the contract extension of Michael Rinaldi who will pilot the official Ducati Panigale V4R also during the 2023 WorldSBK season. The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team thus completes its team which will see the Italian rider alongside Álvaro Bautista in the next Superbike World Championship.
Michael Ruben Rinaldi was born in Rimini on December 21, 1995 and started racing minimotos at the age of 7, winning the Italian championship in 2006. After winning the Italian sports production championship in 2011, he competed in 2014 his first international experience in the European Superstock 600 championship, which he closed as runner-up in 2015. In 2016 Rinaldi rode the Ducati Panigale R of the Aruba.it Racing – Junior team in the FIM Super championship Stock 1000, finishing sixth and then conquering the title of European champion at the end of the following season. With the Aruba.it Racing – Junior team, Michael Ruben Rinaldi also made his WorldSBK debut during the 2018 season, competing only in European rounds and then taking part in all events of the 2019 championship with the team Barni Racing. In 2020, Rinaldi scored his first WorldSBK success with the Go Eleven team's Panigale V4R in Race-1 at Aragon, a weekend which also saw him take a podium finish in the Superpole Race (P3) and in Race-2 (P2).
The 2021 season saw the Italian driver be the absolute protagonist of the Misano round, with two victories (Race-1 and SPR) and a second place (Race-2).
Rinaldi then took his third victory in Race-2 in Barcelona, finishing the 2021 season in fifth place in the Superbike World Championship standings.
During this season, Rinaldi reached the podium twice at Misano, and once during the last race held at Magny-Cours: this second place during the French round allowed him to climb to fourth place in the current WorldSBK rankings.
Stefano Cecconi (Team Principal – Aruba.it Racing – Ducati): “ Michael has the potential to be one of the fastest riders in the Superbike World Championship and he has been able to prove it on several occasions. Our long journey together will be extended at least until the end of 2023, thus giving continuity and preserving the current team configuration which also allows us to be first in the constructors' and teams' championships. We believe that 2023 will be the year of definitive consecration for Michael; at the same time, we are confident that during this second part of the season we will reap the fruits of the work done so far, in terms of satisfaction and consistency of results. »
Paolo ciabatti (Ducati Corse Sports Director): “ Michael Rinaldi is a young rider who grew up in Superbike with Ducati and has proven time and time again that he is very fast and knows how to best exploit the potential of the Panigale V4R machine. This is why we are also happy to be able to count on him for the next championship. With another year of experience with the official Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team, we are confident that he will be able to aspire to even greater results in 2023. »
Michael Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati): “ I am very happy to race again next year for Aruba.it Racing – Ducati because I strongly believe in this project. I am very confident that in 2023 we will be able to reap everything that we have sown together with the team. I will be the first to work even harder, both in training and on the track, to achieve better results and have the consistency that has been lacking until now. I would like to thank Stefano Cecconi, Claudio Domenicali, Luigi Dall'Igna, Paolo Ciabatti, Serafino Foti, and all the people who trusted in me. I can't wait to be in Barcelona to get a good result and return that confidence. And I am sure that 2023 will be a big year for us. »
