BIKECIRCUITWSBK - SSP

Regis Laconi signs to ride a DFX Ducati in the 2009 World Superbike Championship.
2004 World Superbike Championship runner-up Regis Laconi has signed to ride for DFX next season, when the team will switch to Ducati machinery.

Laconi lost out to Ducati Fila team-mate James Toseland at the 2004 title decider, with both riders then losing their factory Ducati seats at the end of the following season.

Despite being one of the few riders to win in both 500GP and WSBK, Laconi found himself short of options and eventually signed for PSG-1 Kawasaki, for whom he raced from 2006 to 2008.

The Frenchman's time on a ZX-10R failed to yield a podium finish and his best championship ranking as a Team Green rider was tenth in 2007.

The eleven-time WSBK race winner told Crash.net as early as September that he didn't intend to remain with PSG-1 - which has now lost official Kawasaki backing - next year, and was duly spotted testing for DFX immediately after the Portimao season finale.

DFX Corse has now signed Laconi for 2009, with an option for 2010, and will switch from Honda to Ducati machinery.

DFX - which ran WSBK legend Frankie Chili during his final season in 2006 - has had little success in recent years, lead rider Karl Muggeridge finishing 15th in the 2008 standings. Muggeridge has signed to ride for Celani Suzuki next season.

Testing alongside 33-year-old Laconi for DFX at Portimao was Lorenzo Lanzi who, along with Troy Bayliss, replaced Toseland and Laconi at Ducati Xerox in 2006.

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