Former Ducati MotoGP rider Nico Canepa will return to the Althea Racing World Superbike team after the departure of Nico Terol earlier in the week.

Canepa, who rode for the team last year but was replaced by Terol and Matteo Baiocco for 2015, began his season with Hero EBR but then moved to Grillini Kawasaki when Hero went tits up.

“I’m very pleased to return to the great family that is Althea. After last year’s fantastic season in which we finished second in the Evo world championship, being able to get back on Team Althea’s Ducati and return to my team gives me great motivation,” said Canepa.

“The bike has improved a lot from that of last year and so I’m sure that after some laps to get back into things I’ll be able to be competitive right away. I thank Genesio for giving me this opportunity and I’m sure that he and the fans will not be disappointed.”