Jakub Smrz has confirmed he will remain with Guandalini Ducati for the 2010 World Superbike season after a successful year that yielded a maiden pole position and podium finish.

Smrz, who showed flashes of promise with Guandalini in 2008, proved to be one of this year's revelations in his second season with the Italian team, particularly in qualifying where he secured a front row starting position on four occasions.

Indeed, Smrz would go on to break Ben Spies' record-breaking run of pole positions with a superb turn at Misano, the Czech rider become one of just four riders to start from the front of the grid in 2009.

Showing greater consistency over a race distance this season, Smrz would also secure his first podium finish at World Superbike level when he beat the factory Ducati counterpart Michel Fabrizio to third position at Assen.

Eventually ending the year in tenth position overall as the third best-placed privateer rider and ahead of several factory contenders, Smrz finished inside the top ten on fifteen occasions.

Guandalini Racing, this year helmed for the first time by Pierfrancesco Chili, ran two bikes in 2009, for Brendan Roberts, Gregorio Lavilla and, most recently, Matteo Baiocco. There is no word on whether it will revert back to using just a single machine for Smrz.