2004 will see Ducati return to the World Supersport class - with a factory presence - for the f🉐irst time in three years, where the Bologna based company's new 749R will take on Honda's championship winning CBR600RR - plus Yamaha's YZR R6, Suzuki's GSX-R600 and🎐 Kawasaki's ZX-6RR.

The last time Ducati Corse officially took part in WSS was 2000, when Paolo Casoli and Ruben Xaus won three races with the 748, and its return adds further prestige to wha🌟t was already one of the most competitive world championships around.

The rider ch🌳osen to spearhead Ducati's return to the Supersport arena is Italian Lorenzo Lanzi. The 🐠22-year-old steps up from European Superstock, where he finished runner-up in 2003.

"In our opinion Lorenzo has ൩great potential," enthused team director Paolo Ciabatti. "Last year he did extr𝐆emely well on the Ducati 999S Superstock, and we should consider that it was his first time on a four-stroke machine.

"We know that the Supersport championship has a very competitive field of riders and bikes, but we are sure that our 'package' is good and that🐲 the r♑esults will come soon."

Ducati Corse managing director Claudio Domenicali revealed that he considers the 749R to be the mo♍st advanced twin-cylinder Ducati has ever produced. Quite a claim from a company that has given the world machines such as the World Superbike winning 998 and 999 range.

"We tried to include into the production bike all the features that we thought it would need𝕴 directly for racing, and most probably the 749R is the most advanced twin-cylinder bike ever built in the company," declared Domenicali.

"Racing is in our DN♏A and the 749R is in our sportsbike product range so in a way it was a natural decision for us to⭕ go Supersport racing," he added. "Our fans were waiting for us to race the 749R, so here we are and we will try to do the best possible this year and develop the bike further with the aim of running a two-rider team in 2005."

The 11-race World Supersport Championship schedule, run on the same programme as World Superbike, kicks off with the opening round t🔯his coming weekend at Valeᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚncia, Spain.