Mike Jones confirmed to defend ASBK Title on V4 R

DesmoSport Ducati Confirms Mike Jones to Race V4 R in 2020

After taking four pole positions and four race wins, along with nine podiums, on his way to winning the 2019 Australian Superbike Championship on the big booming 1299 Panigale R Final Edition, DesmoSport Ducati have now confirmed that Mike Jones will contest ASBK 2020 on the Panigale V4 R.

While it was initially unclear if Mike Jones, now a two-time ASBK Champion, would continue to pursue his racing career overseas as originally planned for 2019, the young Queenslander has removed any doubt about his intentions for the 2020 season.

Mike Jones

“While I, like most racers, strive to race in the world championship, the racing in Australia just keeps getting stronger and stronger, and the credibility of the series continues to grow in the eyes of teams around the world. I love riding the Ducati for Ben (Henry) and Troy (Bayliss), and we have a really strong team. All of us agreed that it made sense for me to stay here, to ride the V4R, and defend our title, and by doing that, will only support my long-term goals of racing in the World Championship. I’ve been out and ridden the V4R that Troy’s been developing with Ben, and I’m pretty excited to race it to be honest. It’s not quite like anything I’ve ridden before, with the rpm, power delivery and of course, the wings.”

DesmoSport Ducati Panigale V R Troy Bayliss — DesmoSport Ducati Panigale V4 R – Image by M33

Ben Henry – DesmoSport Ducati Team Manager

“We’ve always had a strong relationship with Mike, and after winning the title this year, it was more a matter of aligning our partnerships for 2020 and ensuring the teams goals worked with Mikes own before we could move forward. A lot of people, including me if I’m honest, would have been surprised if we didn’t come to an agreement, so I’m really happy to be able to confirm that Mike Jones will race the DesmoSport Ducati V4R in the 2020 ASBK Championship. Mike is not only an incredible racer, but also has a great work ethic, and is willing to put in lap after lap, and give us good feedback to allow us as a team to deliver a better motorcycle come race day, and this is incredibly important in a championship like the ASBK where data from the bike itself is at a minimum. As a team, we still have some work to do, and are looking to finalise some new key partnerships as we get closer to 2020, but we’re excited to not only go racing, but also see what initiatives we can do to ”

Ducati Panigale VR DesmoSport Ducati — DesmoSport Ducati Panigale V4 R – Image by M33

Troy Bayliss

“I’m really happy to come to an agreement with Mike for 2020. I know he has aspirations to race in the world championship, and to be honest, I think he’s capable of great results if the right package is around him, so to retain him just goes to show how strong our championship here is becoming, and how good the DesmoSport Ducati team as a package has become. I’m really proud of what DesmoSport has achieved in such a short time, with a tight-knit crew, and I can’t wait to see Mike at full throttle on the V4R.”