Ducati has announced it will withdraw from World Superbike at the end of this season.

Ducati has revealed that it will quit the Superbike World Championship for 2011, abandoning its factory Ducati Xerox team in favour of providing machines and technical support to private teams next season.

Having participated with a factory team in every edition of WSBK since it began in 1988, winning 16 manufacturers’ world titles and 13 riders’ world titles along the way, the bombshell announcement was made earlier this morning.

“This decision is part of a specific strategy made by Ducati, the aim being to further increase technological content in production models that will arrive on the market in the coming years,” Ducati CEO and president Gabriele Del Torchio confirmed.

“In order to achieve this objective, the company’s technical resources, until now engaged with the management of the factory Superbike team, will instead be dedicated to the development of the new generation of hypersport bikes, in both their homologated and Superbike race versions.”

2010 has been a nightmare season of sorts for the Italian manufacturer, with current world number two Noriyuki Haga and Michel Fabrizio struggling to make an impact on the championship standings during the season.

“I would like to thank Nori and Michel, and all of the riders that have contributed to the great history of Ducati in Superbike, but above all the Ducati employees – it is their hard work and professionalism that has allowed us to achieve such important results,” said Del Torchio.

“A big thank you also to all of the partners that have supported us, first and foremost Xerox of course. I would also like to acknowledge the Flammini brothers who have managed the championship for so long, and the FIM, the organisation with which we have continuous, constructive relations.”

By making this important decision Ducati aims to increase the speed and efficiency with which it transfers advanced technological solutions, currently tested in the prototype championship, to the production series.

The task of testing innovative technical solutions in Superbike racing will therefore be entrusted to external teams in the coming years, teams that will have the chance to receive technical support from Ducati personnel.

This choice will allow the teams to benefit from even more competitive machines and parts, according to Ducati.

Despite the decision to interrupt its official participation in the World Superbike Championship, Ducati will continue to work, in collaboration with the championship organizers, other manufacturers and the FIM, to define a technical regulation aimed at containing costs.

A statement from Ducati explained that the series had become too expensive in recent seasons, becoming much more of a prototype-based series than a production-based street bike series.

Series promoter Infront Motor Sports issues a statement on Ducati’s decision directly following the announcement.

“We are disappointed and also a bit surprised at Ducati’s decision,” declared Paolo Flammini, CEO of Infront Motor Sports. “Especially since we have been asked numerous times for a change in the regulations to bring about a better balancing of twin-cylinder 1200cc machines towards the four-cylinder 1000cc bikes.

“But it must be mentioned that last year, without the presence of a phenomenal Ben Spies, the Ducati 1198 would have dominated the championship with Haga and Fabrizio, and it is therefore difficult for us today to comprehend this decision, which of course we must respect.

“Moreover the FIM Superbike World Championship can today boast the participation of six manufacturers in addition to Ducati, with Aprilia, BMW, Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha and is therefore obliged to maintain a total balance in the regulations, without privileging one or other manufacturer in particular.

We are however pleased that Ducati has confirmed its technical support for private teams that will be competing with its models in the 2011 championship and that the development of its new generation of hypersport bikes, in both homologated and Superbike race versions, will continue.”

Sources suggest that the Althea Ducati team, currently fielding Carlos Checa and Shane Byrne, will become the official Ducati effort for the new year.

Ducati recently announced that it has signed MotoGP megastar Valentino Rossi to a lucrative two-year deal to contest the MotoGP World Championship with the official Ducati Marlboro Team.