Jakub Smrz will return to Ducati machinery in 2011 after penning a deal with a brand-new World Superbike Championship team.
The Czech racer will embark on his fifth season in the premier Superbike category next year, though this will be his first without the Guandalini Racing team he has persevered with since the start of 2008.
Instead, he will pair up with an all-new Prague-based team named Liberty Racing, which has been formed by the Liberty CZ Group, a company that has been involved in
World Superbikes over the years thorough minor branding.
For Smrz, it will mark a return to racing with Ducati after a recent switch by his current B&G Racing team to Aprilia following an unsatisfactory run of form in 2010.
However, while Smrz has shown flashes of speed on the RSV-4 – such as his front row start at
Silverstone -, he has been mid-field at best over the last three events.
Despite a fairly modest rise through the ranks, Smrz has proven a 'dark horse' at
WSBK level since joining with SC Caracchi in 2007, particularly in qualifying. Indeed, Smrz scored his first career pole position at Misano in 2009, while he also has one podium finish to his name at Assen.