Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) has been left without a factory Ducati seat for the 2024 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship season and his quest now is simple: find a seat for next season. There are some openings still available, and the #21 spoke about his future ahead of the Pirelli French Round. Although he didn’t name any teams he’s in discussion with, Rinaldi did say he was “99.9% sure” he’d be on the WorldSBK grid next season.
After taking the 2017 STK1000 title with the Aruba.it Racing – Junior Team, Rinaldi graduated to WorldSBK with the same squad the following year. He took a best finish of sixth at Brno and remained in WorldSBK for 2019 but this time with the Barni Spark Racing Team. A fourth place in Jerez at Race 2 was the highlight and another new team beckoned for 2020 as he joined Team GoEleven, which would be his breakthrough season. Three podiums including a win, all at Aragon, followed and he earnt a promotion to the factory team for 2021.
The Rimini-born star claimed three wins in his first season with the team, including two on home soil at Misano which would be one of his highlights. The other came in Barcelona. In total, he has scored 16 podiums for the factory team and helped win the Manufacturers’ Championship in 2022 as teammate Alvaro Bautista took the Riders’ Championship. The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team also claimed the Teams’ title. However, after three seasons with the team, Rinaldi will leave at the end of the season to make way for Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team).
Reflecting on his time with Ducati, Rinaldi said: “I feel good because it’s been a really good time. We’ve had a lot of beautiful moments and I can be happy about great people I have met during these years. Even if our ways split, I will continue to have friends that before I didn’t have so it’s good. It’s life. Things start and things end. We are in motorsport and I’m not that old, so never say never. It could be a goodbye and not an adios. The beginning of this journey was in STK1000 with the Aruba Junior Team but the best moment for me was Misano 2021 because it was the first victory with the factory team, and it was in front of my crowd. That moment was really special for me, and I’ll remember it for all my life. Also, last year, when we won the Championship with Alvaro but also as a team and manufacturer.”
After the announcement, Rinaldi penned an emotional letter to Ducati thanking them for the good times he had with the team. With his future at the team no longer in question, Rinaldi will be looking for a new seat to show his talent and potential. There are several seats up for grabs still, at factory and Independent outfits, with Rinaldi aiming to secure the best possible one for his future.
When asked about his future, Rinaldi said: “At the moment, I cannot answer your question because I’m still talking, and I have a few options. It won’t take too much time to understand where I will be. I can say that I am 99.9% sure I will be in WorldSBK, but we have to understand better the details and what will be my best choice.”
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Source: WorldSBK.com