Former Superbike racer Borley - now Crew Chief for the Paul Bird Motorsport team - and Team coordinator Stuart Bland met with Paolo Ciabatti and Claudio Domenicali at the Bologna factory and as a result of a successful meeting, the team has secured the backing of Ducati Corse for their forthcoming campaign.

Team Boss Paul Bird was unable to make the trip but commented from his Penrith office:

"Knowing that we've got the full support of Ducati is fantastic news for us and there's absolutely no reason now why we can't win the British Superbike Championship. Our track record proves we've been geared to success and Ducati know we'll do a good job for them" said Bird.

Rider Steve Hislop was naturally delighted with the news that he'll have an ultra-competitive package in his bid for the title.

"Great news. This has got to be my best chance in a long time of winning the championship so I'm now training even harder than ever. I've been out just about every day running, cycling and motocrossing with Neil Hodgson and Dougie Lampkin and I'm as fit as they are despite being ten years older! I just can't wait to get testing and to see how it all shapes up," said the 38-year-old Isle of Man based Scot.