Alberto Surra tested for the Ducati works team in Cremona: what’s behind it

When the Ducati privateer team Motocorsa parted ways with English rider Ryan Vickers after the 2025 season, both sides aired their dirty laundry in the press. Subsequently, Turin-based Alberto Surra joined Lorenzo Mauri’s team; in his 20 starts in the Moto3 World Championship and ten in the Moto2 World Championship, he had failed to make a lasting impression. Consequently, there was a great deal of scepticism towards him in the SBK paddock.

Yet on the heavier and significantly more powerful Superbikes, the 22-year-old made an immediate impression: Surra stormed into the top 10 on his World Championship debut at Phillip Island at the start of the season – a feat he has achieved ten times in the main races to date. He secured his best result with a fifth-place finish in the second long race at Magny-Cours last Sunday. In the sprints, he managed to finish even higher up the order, achieving an astonishing fourth place at both Aragon and Magny-Cours. With 120 points, the Italian currently sits ninth in the overall standings, ahead of his established team-mates Álvaro Bautista, Tarran Mackenzie and Tommy Bridewell. With nine races remaining this season, Surra has already amassed almost three times as many points as Vickers did in the entire 2025 season.

Newcomer des Jahres: Alberto Surra

Foto: gold & goose

On 10 September, Surra was also given the chance to complete a few laps for the Ducati factory team during the Cremona test. “It was just a one-off and has no deeper significance,” said his manager Simone Battistella when asked by SPEEDWEEK.com. After all, it has long been confirmed that Aruba.it Ducati will field the duo of Iker Lecuona and Franco Morbidelli in 2027. Surra’s future is also secure: he has reached a verbal agreement with Motocorsa boss Mauri for a second season, and the contract extension is about to be signed.

Riders & Teams, 2027 Superbike World Championship:

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