WSB: Tito Rabat joins Barni Racing for 2021 season

Tito Rabat will make his World Superbike debut in 2021 after signing for the Barni Racing Ducati team.

Rabat’s five-season stay in MotoGP came to an end at the end of this season following the arrival of Enea Bastianini and Luca Marini at the Reale Avintia Racing Ducati team for 2021.

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Thr 31-year-old secured six top 10 finishes in the premier class, taking a best result of seventh at the 2018 Argentinian Grand Prix. Unfortunately, Rabat suffered a severe leg injury at Silverstone and was ruled out for the remainder of that campaign.

Rabat will ride the Ducati Panigale V4 R next season and joins former MotoGP rivals Scott Redding and Alvaro Bautista in WSB.

“After many years in MotoGP I will have the chance to start a new adventure in WorldSBK and I want to show all my potential in this Championship,” Rabat said. “I know I’ll have at my disposal a great bike and a good team, for this opportunity I want to thank the Barni Racing Team and Ducati.

“For me, the new challenge started today when I jumped on the Ducati Panigale V4 R for the first time. I can’t wait to take it on track, and I will work hard to be full prepared for the first test.”

Before joining the premier class of Grand Prix racing Rabat was a frontrunner in Moto2, winning the title in 2014. That season Rabat won four of the opening seven races and would go on to win a further three races later in the season. Rabat ended the year with a 57-point advantage over teammate Mika Kallio.

“I’m very happy with the agreement with Tito because when I spoke with him, I saw our same approach to work: great commitment and determination trying to achieve ambitious goals,” team principal Marco Barnabo added. “Our whole team is ready to do its best to put him in the best conditions to reach good results.”

The Barni Racing team made their WSB debut in 2015 after winning the Superstock 1000 title with Leandro Mercado in 2014. Xavi Fores secured the squad’s first six podiums between 2016 and 2018, whilst Michael Ruben Rinaldi secured a best finish of fourth in 2019.

Other riders to have competed with Barni Racing include Michele Pirro and two-time MotoGP race winner Danilo Petrucci.