Avintia locks in new Ducati deal

Having entered MotoGP in 2012, the Spanish team switched to become a Ducati customer in late-14, and will continue that for at least one more year, finalising a new contract at Austin.

Avintia fields a 2016-model Ducati for Hector Barbera and a '15-specification Desmosedici for Loris Baz, but its riders will both use this year's bike next season.

"We are really happy and satisfied to be able to continue our relationship with Reale Avintia Racing in 2018," Ducati's sporting director Paolo Ciabatti said.

"It is a team that started to work with us at the end of 2014 and since then they have never stopped growing together with Ducati.

"We believe that the team will have a great opportunity to do a fantastic job again next season, as they are doing now and as they did in the last years working with us."

The announcement is the first of what is expected to be a mini silly season for satellite squads locking in 2018 machinery, with Aprilia, KTM and Suzuki having all expressed interest in running bikes beyond their factory programmes next year.

CEO Raul Romero admitted Avintia "had some more options for next season" but wanted to repay Ducati's faith.

"The confidence showed by Paolo Ciabatti and Gigi Dall'Igna over these years made the decision easy to sign so early in the season," he said.

"We feel an incredible support from the factory and the guaranty to have this year's factory bikes for next season is really important for the team.

"Now it will be easy to find more sponsorship and to keep growing."

Ducati has six satellite and customer bikes on the grid, spread across Avintia, Aspar and Pramac.