Alstare boss Batta can't wait for Ducati return

Alstare owner Francis Batta has spoken of his hunger to reignite the glory days in the World Superbike Championship in 2013.

Alstare has taken over Ducati's factory team for next season and 2014 - 15 years after both organisations last collaborated.

The Belgian outfit took a sabbatical this year after ending its long-standing relationship with Suzuki at the end of 2011, but makes a welcome return with Carlos Checa and former Superstock 1000 champion Ayrton Badovini on the new 1199 Panigale machines.

Batta - whose team won the World Superbike title in 2005 with Troy Corser and Suzuki - is delighted to be back where he belongs.

Commenting on his break from top level World Superbike racing, Batta said: "I feel that my life is the motorcycle and for six months at home with nothing happening... this was for me very difficult, psychologically."

He explained that while development work on the Panigale will be carried out at the Ducati factory in Bologna, the team will be based in Belgium.

"The machines and so on will be in our workshops in Belgium," he added on the official World Superbike website.

"The job is very similar to the one we did before for Suzuki.

"The development will be in Ducati but the team will be located in Belgium.

"After the races the bikes and so on will go back to Belgium.

"We have eight people working all day in Alstare in the workshops.

"We still have the dynos, flow bench, etc. all working at a high level."

Following confirmation of the deal last month, Batta said: "For me, it's an absolute thrill to be able to join the Ducati family again.

"We are going to face a challenge which is highly stimulating both for me and for my team and we will apply our absolute best efforts to making sure this is a successful endeavour."

Alstare takes over Ducati's works effort from Althea Racing, which will run Davide Giugliano on a factory Aprilia RSV4 next year.