Mike Jones off to Europe with Aruba.it Ducati in European Superstock 1000
Callum Spriggs to ride DesmoSport Ducati in 2017 ASBK
Mike Jones has scored a berth with the Aruba.it Racing – Junior Team for season 2017 as the Ducati backed squad takesd on the European Superstock 1000 Championship with Jones partnered in the team alongside Michael Ruben Rinaldi.
With Jones heading overseas the DesmoSport Ducati squad, owned by Ben Henry and Troy Bayliss, have elected to move Callum Spriggs on to the DesmoSport Ducati where he will move up from the Supersport ranks to take on the 2017 ASBK Championship.
Callum Spriggs
‘I am very grateful to Troy and Ben for giving me this awesome opportunity of riding the Desmo Sport Ducati next season. I have big shoes to fill after Mike, but I am keen for the challenge and will give it everything. I am getting really excited for my first year in the Superbike class now, especially with the amount of tough competition in the asbk. I am just keen to get on it next weekend and start testing.”
Jones debuted successfully in both WorldSBK and MotoGP with Ducati in season 2016, managing to score points in both series despite taking part to only three rounds in total.
Despite his relative experience on European tracks, the Queenslander participated in only nine races in the European Stock 600 between 2012 and 2013, Jones is determined to collect strong results since the very start of the season.
Mike Jones – (Aruba.it Racing – Junior Team #57)
“I’m very excited at the prospect of racing in the European Superstock 1000 Championship and join the Aruba.it Racing – Junior Team. For me, it’s a privilege to have the opportunity to compete with an extremely professional team on a bike as competitive as the Ducati Panigale R, with which I already have some good experience. I want to make the most of this opportunity to improve my current skills while racing against strong competitors and learning new circuits. I’m looking forward to this challenge, and I’ll be giving my best to achieve strong results”.
Jones’s teammate Rinaldi was sixth at the end of his debut year in the Superstock 1000 class, with two podiums to his tally, is eager to make the most of the experience gained on the Panigale R and take advantage of the continuity at the technical level to race constantly at the front.
Daniele Casolari (Titolare Feel Racing)
“We have started this adventure with great enthusiasm, getting really close to our goal of a title in our debut season, but we’re not satisfied yet. On the contrary, we decided to renew our challenge to finish the job with two young, talented riders. Mike has been with Ducati for a while now, and he really impressed me this year, showing great speed and adaptability in very different championships. Michael matured progressively in 2016, and we’re confident he can find the consistency worthy of his talent, which has never been in question. For both, the goal is to win races and aim at the title”.
