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Noriyuki Haga to replace Troy Bayliss at Xerox Ducati in 2009; Fabrizio set to be confirmed too.
Noriyuki Haga is on the verge of being confirmed by Xerox Ducati as the replacement for Troy Bayliss in 2009.

Speculation as to who will replace the soon-to-retire Bayliss has been rife in recent months, but only now has the team reached an agreement with someone.

Although the deal will not been ratified until Yamaha have exhausted their attempts at retaining the Japanese rider, an announcement is due imminently.

The ever-popular Haga's arrival at Ducati is something of a surprise given his long-standing role as a 'halo-rider' in the Yamaha family, while Ducati themselves were thought to be leaning towards either Max Biaggi or even Shane Byrne for 2009.

Nonetheless, Haga has already been given the seal of approval from Bayliss:

"I like Nori, he is a good guy," he told Crash.net Radio. "It is easy for me to slip into the garage and get on with him."

Meanwhile, Michel Fabrizio looks set to retain his place in the team but, as with Haga, his position is yet to be confirmed until an official announcement is made, possibly over the next couple of days.

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