Rookies in name, World Champions in action. The ELF Marc VDS Racing Team have officially inaugurated a new chapter in their decorated history with their arrival in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship for 2024, alongside 2013 WorldSSP Champion Sam Lowes. The stunning Château de Modave in Southern Belgium hosted the inauguration of this new project alongside the established Moto2™ squad, putting on display for the first time the full scope of this new expansion.
FAMILIAR LIVERY, FAMILIAR FACES: The full details for 2024
The 33-year-old Lowes, a well-known face in the paddock after winning the WorldSSP Championship in 2013 (the third youngest rider in history to do so), will be making his full WorldSBK debut in 2024 after 10 seasons in the MotoGP™ paddock. He will have competitive machinery under him from the get-go, with a Ducati Panigale V4 R in the familiar Marc VDS livery. The team thus become the fourth independent team on the grid to use Ducati machinery.
Lowes will be surrounded by experienced faces in the WorldSBK paddock from the start, with Giovanni Crupi (Ducati mainstay and ex-crew chief to Scott Redding, along with others) as his crew chief for 2024. The rest of the crew has also been confirmed, with Stefano Guidi in charge of telemetry and a team of mechanics comprising Carmine Oliva, Marco Pascucci and Nicolas Guichard.
Moto2™ World Champions with Tito Rabat (2014), Franco Morbidelli (2017) and Alex Marquez (2020), as well as runners-up in 2013 (Scott Redding), 2014 (Mika Kallio) and as recently as last year with Tony Arbolino, and winners of a MotoGP™ race in 2016 with Jack Miller, few teams can boast the history of the Marc VDS Racing Team in the world of motorsport. How this will translate to the world of production-based racing is now the big challenge for 2024.
THE PROTAGONIST: “The goal is to fight at the front”
This new episode for both Marc VDS and Sam Lowes was announced all the way back in July, which has left the Englishmen plenty of time to prepare for the new chapter: “It’s a big new challenge for me to change category after a long time and I’m very happy and motivated to start. I’d like to say a huge thanks to Marc for asking me to be the first rider for his team in WorldSBK. The bike is beautiful and it’s an amazing feeling to ride a Ducati. The livery is fantastic and it’s so special to represent Marc and this team in WorldSBK.
“I’m really excited to continue working with my new crew chief Giovanni to progress my understanding of the bike. I just need to learn the bike, tyres, and format over a race weekend with the three races. The first goal in the tests will be to make the bike mine and feel comfortable. I just need laps and mileage on the bike to understand many things. But this will come and if we had to go racing today, I feel we could do a good job. The goal though is to fight at the front. I hope to be in the fight for podiums and wins and to learn a lot. Also being top Independent rider has to be a target.”
TEAM’S VIEW: “We know together we can make big things happen”
Team owner and founder Marc van der Straten is equally eager to see how far the new project can go in its debut season: “It was really beautiful and motivating to see our three machines with their talented riders on stage, and to know that they’re going to give their all to achieve the objectives set. In Moto2, with Tony Arbolino and Filip Salac, we’ll be continuing our quest for victories and podiums to try and win the World Championship. In the WorldSBK Championship, we face a big and exciting new challenge. Although we’re just starting out, we’re very well prepared and supported by the brilliant talent of Sam Lowes and the technical quality of Ducati. We know together we can make big things happen”.
Representing Ducati Corse, Technical Coordinator Marco Zambenedetti was also on hand to share his thoughts regarding the new project: “It’s a huge pleasure that the name of Ducati shines together with the Marc VDS Racing family. Their three world titles in Moto2, their excellent results over more than a decade and, above all, their commitment to excellence, make this team an ideal partner. In addition, we are delighted that Sam Lowes will be at the controls of our Ducati Panigale V4 R Superbike. Ducati will do all it can to help him show his speed and talent and we are convinced that his experience will also make us grow. Finally, I would like to thank Marc van der Straten and the team for the trust placed in Ducati to accompany them in this new WorldSBK adventure. I am sure it will be an exciting season for everyone.”
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Source: WorldSBK.com