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SBK, Iannone gearing up for return: Superbike awaits him, but on which Ducati?

At Misano Andrea confirmed that he is working to return to racing once his disqualification is over. The SBK rider market is only just beginning, but who is ready to bet on the rider from Vasto?

SBK: Iannone gearing up for return: Superbike awaits him, but on which Ducati?

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We saw him again at the Misano circuit last weekend. Serene, carefree, smiling, flanked by his latest flame, Italian pop star Elodie: a permanent presence at the Riviera round of the SBK World Championship. For the occasion, Andrea Iannone met up again with some old friends and paddock mates: Davide Tardozzi and Danilo Petrucci, Bulega, Dall'Igna, Biaggi and many others.

He has a great desire to get back to racing on track, as he himself confirmed during an interview with Sky TV: “We are working on the future, I have spent these years thinking about what happens after. If I'm still here it's because I'd like to come back".

Clear and transparent words those spoken by The Maniac, who is targeting 2024 as the year of his restart, once his disqualification has ended. In a market like that of SBK, which has only recently started to move, Andrea Iannone is aiming for a big comeback with Ducati. This is clearly the most accredited path for the Italian, considering his close relationship with Borgo Panigale and the friendship that ties him to Michele Pirro, thanks to which he might be in a position to share test days on the track to better prepare for the start of the Championship .

Taking a look at the teams instead, the first team that could bet on Andrea Iannone for next year is certainly Barni. Marco Barnabò, one of the most esteemed and professional people in the entire paddock, would have all the technical and economic guarantees to carry out such an operation, obviously making use of the Spark brand, which has decided to support and invest in the Bergamo-based outfit.

While waiting to understand what Petrucci will decide to do next season, we are of the opinion that Barni would not lack the resources to put a second bike on the grid. But this team is not the only possibility for Andrea, because there is also Go Eleven. Here, however, the question is a bit more complicated, because Ramello's team would bet on The Maniac only in the case there was a second bike and not with a single bike.

With this in mind, Dennis Sacchetti has already tried to make a necessary appraisal of the case, speaking with Ducati to understand what kind of support he would have from the manufacturer. As is well-known, Go Eleven aims to build a second bike next year, but a lot will depend on how the situation at Aruba develops and on what kind of support Cecconi's structure will guarantee when it entrusts Go Eleven with either Rinaldi or Bulega.

In all of this, we must also take into account a significant financial element, because the figures exceed 700,000 euros for a second bike. Go Eleven likes the name of Iannone, especially the Ramello family, but to carry out such an operation requires a considerable sacrifice, in some ways risking going too far.

That's why at the moment Barni seems to be the most likely path to follow, economically and technically, for a possible return of Andrea to the racing world, represented by Superbike.

Finally, it will be interesting to see what Marc VDS will do: the Mugello weekend is upon us and we will certainly know more about this aspect there. It’s looking as if it’s going to be a long hot summer on the rider market front for SBK.

 

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