The PATA B&G Racing team has confirmed it will run an Aprilia RSV-4 for the remainder of this season and into 2011 after curtailing its relationship with 🅠Ducati early.

The Borciani and Guandalini teams had been long-term partners of Ducati prior to their amalgamation for the 2010 season, but the sole 1098R of Jakub Smrz has suffered from a myriad of technical issues 🎃this year.

Indeed, althou♊gh Sm💃rz has shown flashes of pace on the bike - particularly in qualifying -, mechanical problems have contributed to him retiring in each of the last four races.

With Smrz's home round at Brno looming, B&G has duly taken the unprecedented decision to switch bikes mid-seaꦅson after♔ citing a lack of co-operation from Ducati. The deal will also continue into 2011.

"Switching is an important step not only for our team, ๊but also for Aprilia . We are just at the beginning and togethe💦r we have enough time to prepare for next season.

"A big thank you ♈to all our sponsors, which have enabled us to make this move. We have complained several times to Ducati but there has been no change, so we have solved this [by changing bikes]. I hope Jakub will suit the four-cylinder engine and achieved good results with it."

B&G Racing's original entry for 2010 had stated its intentions to run an Aprilia, but the deal failed to materialise. Even so, the team'🌜s plans to switch machinery were made evident by Smrz sampling the factory BMW during testing last month.