Ducati cup to feature at multiple WorldSBK events in 2026

The Ducati V2 Future Champ Academy is a new one-make series from the Bologna brand set to feature on the itinerary of two 2026 WorldSBK events.

Set to contest seven rounds in its inaugural season next year, the series is aimed at “young riders”, Ducati says, although there doesn’t appear to be an upper age limit.

The minimum age to compete is 16-years-old, and riders will be split into two age categories: 16–21, and 21-and-older.

Six of the seven rounds will all take place in Italy - including four at Misano - and mostly at CIV rounds, but there is also a round scheduled for World Ducati Week, two at the Italian World Superbike rounds in Misano and Cremona, and one at the JuniorGP round at Barcelona.

The full schedule is below.

Although the primary aspect of the series is of course the racing, there will also be “classroom lessons [and] preseason testing” involved, Ducati says.

Support for the riders involved will come from Garage51, which also promotes the Ducati V4 Elite Cup, and Ducati MotoGP test rider Michele Pirro will be involved in the riders’ development, as well as Davide Stirpe who won this year’s first edition of the CIV Production Bike championship on the 2025 Panigale V4.

The cost for competing in the new championship is fairly steep with an entry fee for the season costing €49,500 (around £43,500) plus VAT, split into seven instalments. Additionally, entrants will have to purchase a 2025 or 2026 model year Panigale V2 S with a 15 per cent discount on the list price, and then also have to pay for an official preparation kit to be fitted to the bike by Garage51 at the cost of €10,000, or around £9,000, plus VAT.

The preparation kit includes: suspension set-up, with spring adjustment based on the rider's weight and skill level; racing exhaust system; adjustable racing footpegs and handlebars; racing fuel tank cap; CNC-machined triple clamp and levers; ABS elimination kit; final gearing kit (two front and two rear sprockets); racing fairing kit painted with official team graphics, complete with identification stickers.

Optional “motorcycle management equipment” is also available at €7,500, or around £6,500.

Prize money will be awarded, although the structure of this is yet to be finalised.