Team Motocorsa Racing have officially confirmed their switch to the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship in 2020, after testing the waters last season with two successful wildcard entries. Argentinean sensation Leandro ‘Tati’ Mercado is the safe pair of hands that the Italian team have chosen for this new adventure.

Team Motocorsa Racing will join the grid in March at the Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto and are set to race in all ten European Rounds, with an extra participation set for Mercado’s home round in San Juan. The team will miss out on the Australian and Qatar rounds, using that time to better prepare for their step up to the world stage.

In 2019, the team fielded a single wildcard entry in both Italian rounds. Lorenzo Zanetti was the first rider to step onboard the Ducati V4 R at Imola, taking a fantastic 9th position in Race 1. Samuele Cavalieri followed two rounds later at Misano, with two 13th place finishes in the full-length races.

For Mercado, this will be his fourth consecutive season in the series, after one year with IodaRacing and two with Orelac Racing VerdNatura. Before that, the 27-year-old managed to win the 2014 European Superstock title onboard a Ducati. The Argentinean also competed on a Panigale in WorldSBK in 2015, although this will be his first experience on the V4 R.

After two years on a Kawasaki ZX-10RR, Mercado is more than ready for 2020: “I’m really pleased to be able to compete with Team Motocorsa and to ride once again with a Ducati. I’ve known Lorenzo Mauri for several years, we have the same goals and at last we can race together. I’m convinced that we will work hard to achieve excellent results together. I can’t wait to get started in the January winter tests and finally try the Ducati V4 R. I want to thank all our sponsors as well as Motul for making this project possible”.

Lorenzo Mauri, Team Manager for Motocorsa Racing, is equally enthusiastic: “We are aware of how big the challenge is, but we’re excited to start this new adventure. I want to thank Ducati, Motul and all our partners for giving us this opportunity. It goes without saying that everyone involved in this first season with put in 100%. I’ve been chasing Mercado for over two years and, at last, he will be our rider for 2020. He is a young yet mature rider, ideal to face this huge challenge considering the level of competitiveness in WorldSBK. All our team members share this same competitive spirit. We will go race by race, with humility but without any fear of not stepping up to the challenge”.

Follow all the action from winter testing and the preparations for the 2020 WorldSBK season thanks to WorldSBK VideoPass!