Fogarty lured by Ducati deal

Motorcycling

Carl Fogarty, Britain's reigning double World Superbike champion, will return to the works Ducati team with whom he won both his titles in 1993 and 1994, writes Andrew Martin.

The 30-year-old rider from Blackburn, who despite Sunday's twin victories at Assen, Netherlands, has struggled on the Honda RC45 this season, will leave the HRC team at the end of the season to rejoin Virginio Ferrari's Ducati Corse organisation. Next year may be his last, and most lucrative, season. The one-year contract is worth pounds 750,000.

"Next year could be my last and I want a bike I can win the WSB title on. The Ducati suits me," Fogarty said. "I have found this year very difficult. It feels like I have been two practice sessions behind everyone else before I started each meeting."

Fogarty, third in the championship after 10 rounds, 22 points behind his Honda team-mate, Aaron Slight, remains in contention for a third championship. "Nothing has changed as far as the 1996 title is goes. I still want to win for Honda," he said.