Ryan Vickers (Team Motocorsa Racing) is one of several rookies who will join the 2025 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship grid after he inked a deal to join the Motocorsa Ducati outfit for next season. After challenging for the title domestically in Britain, Vickers got his first taste of the Ducati Panigale V4 R at the post-round Jerez test a few weeks ago. Speaking at EICMA, he reviewed the test, how the deal with Motocorsa Racing came about and his goals for 2025.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS: testing the Panigale V4 R at Jerez
Vickers’ first taste of his new machine came at Jerez just after the 2024 season finale and he showed great speed from the off as he adapted to the new bike and circuit. On Day 2, he finished in seventh place despite a crash at Turn 1 after setting a best time of 1’40.027s. His crash ended the test early for the Brit, but he remained upbeat after a productive test as he started to understand the bike, electronics and circuit.
Reflecting on the test, Vickers said: “My first thoughts with the team and the bike were amazing. They welcomed me so well and taught me the way to ride the Ducati and also introduced me well to the electronics. I didn’t expect to arrive at the level we did straight away, so really happy. The two days were fantastic. The weather was amazing. It was a great time for me to get used to the team and the way of working. Really excited for the next test in January.”
MOTOCORSA RACING DEAL: the stars aligned
Vickers also spoke about how he reached an agreement to sign for Motocorsa Racing, handing him a full-time season on the world stage after a one-off race with TPR Team Pedercini Racing in 2022. His moves comes off the back of a successful British Superbike championship campaign where he finished fifth in the standings and won seven races.
Explaining the reasoning behind his Motocorsa Ducati switch, Vickers said: “Things have got to happen and get into line and the opportunity came about because I was in the right point of my career to progress to WorldSBK. They were finishing a partnership with Michael Ruben Rinaldi. They wanted a young rider that they could progress like they did with Axel Bassani. The team do a good job with this. I’m super excited to be joining a team that have shown they can progress a young rider and bring a young rider through”
ROOKIE AIMS: what does Vickers want to achieve in 2025?
Coming into WorldSBK as a rookie is incredibly difficult, due to various factors – new circuits, bikes, and the level of competition. These are all things Vickers will have to deal with round-by-round as he gets fully up to speed on WorldSBK-spec machinery, but, when asked about his goals, he refused to put a specific target in mind and instead preferred to focus on just improving with the bike and the team.
He said: “It’s always difficult as a rookie and I think I would be silly to put a position as a goal. There’s a lot of new circuits for me. Some of the rookies that were in this year already knew them. I’ve got a lot of learning to do. I’ve got a great team. Let’s see, my only goal is to keep progressing with the team and the bike and I’m sure, throughout the year, we’ll get some amazing results as we’ve shown we’ve arrived at a pretty high level straight away. Jerez was a good test for me. It’s a very new circuit for me, I hadn’t been there for five years and only ever done one day at Jerez, so to be at a good level straight away was a great feeling for me. When I next go to a new circuit, I know I can begin the same process with learning the track and bike.”
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Source: WorldSBK.com