That will finally come true in 2024, when Sam switches from Moto2 to join Alexꦫ on the World Superbike grid, riding for ཧa new Marc VDS Ducati team.

The pair have not previously competed head-to-head as professional riders, with the last time 🔜they regularly shared a grid thought to be in the 2008 ♑European Superstock 600 series.

Sam late𝓡r used the 2010 British Supersport title as a springboard to World Supersport (champion in 2013) and then on to Moto2 and MotoGP. Meanwhile, Alex’s path to WorldSBK came via the British Superbike class, which he won in𓆉 2013.

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Alex, who has gone onꦐ to take two wins and𝓰 34 podiums in WorldSBK, will remain at the Kawasaki Racing Team next season.

“I’m excited for him🐠 and the team! We’re really close but to have another good team in the ♏WorldSBK Championship is good and maybe in the future, it might even be two riders,” Aleix said.

“For such a good team in Moto2 to arrive here is only going to make the Championship stronger. Mar𝓡c van der Straten is a fantasticꦆ guy and his personality will be great.

“On the other side, ꦅabout my brother, it’s fantastic! We’ve been dreaming for a long, long time since we were kids, to race motorbikes and maybe race together one day. On a personal note, away from the track, I am so, so happy.

“With our current schedules, we spend a lot of time apart but to race 𝔉together, travel together, it’s going to be fantastic.

“The [Marc VDS] te🐠am have been World Champions and Sam has won a Grand Prix just two months ago, so the level he is riding at is꧅ fantastic so we can expect him, the bike and the team to be strong.”

Sam - who battled for the Moto2 title against future MotoGP stars Enea Bastiani🐈ni, Luca Marini, Marco Bezzecchi and Jorge Martin until the final round of 2020 - has won ten races in the intermediate class, the last seven of them with Marc VDS. He also spent th🦋e 2017 season in MotoGP with Aprilia.