Due to the new concession system, Ducati cannot do wildcards in MotoGP. Michele Pirro, test rider, was the usual choice, and without this possibility in 2024, he will have a wildcard with Ducati in the World Superbike Championship.
This is what he revealed to the website GPOne.com after the Vallelunga round of the Italian Speed Championship (CIV): ‘Because of the new MotoGP regulations, I will not be able to do wildcards in the championship until June, and since we have proven once again that we are still the reference, it will be difficult for me to race from June onwards. Since I cannot compete in MotoGP at Mugello, I will compete in Misano in SBK‘.
Before the WSBK round scheduled for mid-June, Pirro is already preparing and getting to know the Ducati Panigale V4 R: ‘It’s a different bike, with different tires, but I already did a test in Barcelona and will do another one next week. I hope to have fun and be part of the action‘, he said.
The last time the Italian competed in WSBK – also as a wildcard – was in 2019. At that time, he also competed in the Misano round, retiring from the first race before finishing eighth in the Superpole race and in the second race. Before that, he had made sporadic appearances in the championship in 2013 and 2015, with two sixth places being his best results.
