Pramac Ducati miss out on Eugene Laverty signing

Pramac Ducati management have admitted Aspar Honda just beat them to Eugene Laverty’s signature for 2015.

Laverty has been locked in lengthy negotiations with Pramac Ducati for weeks, as the Italian squad sought a replacement for departing number one rider Andrea Iannone.

Pramac had kept the seat next to Colombian Yonny Hernandez free for Scott Redding while the Briton’s future was uncertain.

Once Redding was unavailable after he clinched a factory Honda ride in the Marc VDS squad, Laverty was Pramac’s preferred option.

But just when Pramac boss Francesco Guidotti was poised to make the current Voltcom Suzuki World Superbike rider an offer, the Irishman had already agreed a deal to partner Nicky Hayden in the Spanish-based Aspar squad.

Laverty is well known to Pramac and Ducati having worked with Guidotti and Gigi Dall’Igna when he was in Aprilia’s factory World Superbike in 2012 and ’13.

But he made it clear his preference was always to ride the production Honda RC213V-RS next season and his deal with Aspar was finally confirmed yesterday (Thursday).

Pramac boss Guidotti told MCN: “Eugene had a good offer from Aspar and at that time we couldn’t make an offer. The deadline was too short for us.

“He made the deal with them and I am happy for him but it is a shame for us because he would have been a strong contender. We would have made him an offer if he hadn’t already agreed to move somewhere else.”

Pramac Ducati confirmed earlier this week that current Ioda Racing rider Danilo Petrucci will join the team in 2015.