Ex-MotoGP rider Canepa returns to SSTK
Former MotoGP rider Niccolo Canepa has set his sights on a move to World Superbikes in the near future after agreeing to return to the FIM Superstock 1000 series with Go Eleven Kawasaki.
Canepa won the feeder category back in 2007, the Italian being rewarded with a Ducati MotoGP and World Superbike test role in 2008 before being promoted to the manufacturer's satellite Pramac operation in MotoGP last season.
However, he struggled to make an impression in the top flight, while a subsequent switch to the Moto2 series in 2010 didn't yield him a single points' finish.
As such, Canepa is looking to revive his career again with a return to where he last enjoyed significant success, the 22-year-old to ride an all-new Kawasaki with a view to progressing to Superbikes 'as soon as possible'.
"The Go Eleven project has won me over, everyone is very enthusiastic about it and they all want to do well. I have decided to come back to Superstock, despite receiving offers to stay in Moto2 and despite the fact that the 2010 season was conditioned by the budget problems of the team I raced for.
"I think this is the right environment to revitalize my career and as soon as possible arrive in World Superbike, my 'first love' and where I made my debut when I was Ducati test-rider. I believe that this team has the right structure and personnel to work well on the new Kawasaki."
