Aprilia said Thursday that Italy's two-time MotoGP world champion Francesco 'Pecco' Bagnaia will join them next season.
    The Italian outfit said Bagnaia has signed a four-year contract with them and will team up with the current championship leader, Marco Bezzecchi.
    At the moment Bezzecchi's team mate is Spain's 2024 world champion Jorge Martín.
    On Wednesday Bagnaia's current team, Ducati, announced he would be leaving them at the end of 2026 with Spanish rider Pedro Acosta taking his place.
    "Bagnaia's arrival is a confirmation of the value of Italian sport, which in recent months has distinguished itself on the world stage thanks to the achievements of Kimi Antonelli in Formula 1, Jannik Sinner in tennis, and Federica Brignone at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026," said Massimo Rivola, the CEO of Aprilia Racing.
    "That is why welcoming Pecco fills us with pride and gives Italian sport a further boost internationally.
    "We will give him and his family a warm welcome, but first we will try to beat him! Having a multiple World Champion is a responsibility we can't wait to take on".
    Bagnaia, 29, joined the Ducati factory team in 2021 and the year after he led it to its first riders' title since Casey Stoner's triumph in 2007.
    He retained the title in 2023 but has struggled in recent seasons, especially since the arrival of seven-time and reigning MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez last year.

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