Althea Racing will once again use Ducati power in the World Superbike Championship after signing a deal with the Bologna factory for Nico Canepa to race one in Evo trim next year.

Canepa has a long association with Ducati and it will be an interesting experiment for the factory to see how much different the bike is to its successful Superstock 1000 version.

“I am extremely happy to be able to collaborate once again with Ducati, a brand and a company with which we have achieved great success and results that we fully intend to repeat," said Althea team owner Genesio Bevilacqua.

"I am certain that next year we will be able to bring great satisfaction to our fans and consecrate Canepa among the top Superbike riders. I have full faith in Niccolò and am sure that he is the right rider for our new and stimulating project. I would like to thank Ducati for its trust that I am certain that our team will be able to repay with the utmost dedication.”

Althea's move back to Ducati now leaves Aprilia with very little in the way of options for a satellite team to run RSV4s. Alstare have stated they will move to car racing this year while Red Devils Roma do not have the funds to race in 2014. It also leaves Leon Camier with an even smaller safety net should the Ioda MotoGP ride not come off as he hopes.