Avintia will continue with Ducati in MotoGP next season, when the Reale-backed squad will receive Desmosedici GP17 machinery.

The Spanish team has been partnered with Ducati since 2014 and currently runs a mix of GP16 (Hector Barbera) and GP15 (Loris Baz) bikes.

"I'm extremely happy to announce that we will be racing with Ducati next season," declared Ra?l Romero. "We are like a family and we are fully integrated in their MotoGP project.

"We had some more options for next season, but the confidence showed by Paolo Ciabatti and Gigi Dall'Igna over these years made the decision easy to sign so early in the season.

"We feel an incredible support from the factory and the guaranty to have this year's factory bikes for next season is really important for the team. Now it will be easy to find more sponsorship and to keep growing."

Ducati Corse Sporting Director added: "We are really happy and satisfied to be able to continue our relationship with Reale Avintia Racing in 2018. It is a team that started to work with us at the end of 2014 and since then they have never stopped growing together with Ducati.

"We believe that the team will have a great opportunity to do a fantastic job again next season, as they are doing now and as they did in the last years working with us."

Ducati currently has the most bikes on the grid, with Pramac and Aspar also using satellite specification Desmosedicis.