As good as done: Ducati team Go Eleven with two bikes – and Danilo Petrucci?

Since 2019, Gianni Ramello’s Go-Eleven team has been competing in the Superbike World Championship on Ducatis and has since won several races, with Michael Ruben Rinaldi and Andrea Iannone. Lorenzo Baldassarri is further proof of just how well the team has developed: if the 29-year-old didn’t crash so often, he would be much higher up the World Championship standings than in 6th place.

For years, the team has been working towards expanding from one to two riders, but this requires an additional budget of around 750,000 euros. Normally it would be around one million, but for 2027 Ducati will only be providing updates to the engine and swingarm, and Go Eleven is already well-positioned when it comes to spare parts.

Sponsor Pata opens up opportunities for Go Eleven

In mid-2024, snack manufacturer Pata came on board, initially as a personal sponsor of then-rider Andrea Iannone; the following year, the team also received direct support. Company boss Remo Gobbi is one of the most important sponsors in the SBK paddock; he has numerous riders and teams under contract. The Italian is set to significantly expand his involvement with Go Eleven for next season, which will allow the team to realise its long-cherished dream of fielding two Superbike riders.

“We’re 99.5 per cent certain it will work out and that we’ll pull it off; we need to finalise everything this weekend,” deputy team principal Elia Ramello told SPEEDWEEK.com in Portugal.

It has already been confirmed that Baldassarri’s contract will be extended. The announcement is due next week; an entertaining video was filmed in the Estoril pit lane on Thursday afternoon.

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Delbianco or Petrucci: who will get the nod?

The second V4R will go to either Alessandro Delbianco or Danilo Petrucci. Pata boss Gobbi has no preference; there are pros and cons with both riders. Delbianco has been supported by Pata for many years; he became Italian Superbike Champion on a Yamaha in 2025 and is well on his way to successfully defending his title. He enjoys a certain level of recognition in Italian motorsport circles, is active on social media and, with his open and engaging manner, is highly regarded by fans and sponsors alike.

Danilo Petrucci’s name is significantly better known worldwide than Delbianco’s; the 35-year-old has won races in the MotoGP and Superbike World Championships, as well as in MotoAmerica and the Superstock 1000 Cup – and even a stage at the Dakar Rally! As a long-standing works rider, he has higher expectations of the team than Delbianco; these will be difficult to meet, at least at the start of the season, as there are only just over four months left until the season opener in Australia in 2027.

So far, Go Eleven and Pata remain undecided; there is still no clear indication as to who will be awarded the contract. Ramello is taking it step by step: “First, we need to finalise the budget. Then we need confirmation from Dorna that we’ll be allocated the second spot, with all the benefits we’ll also have for the first bike. Then, together with Remo Gobbi, we’ll decide who will be the second rider.”

Financially, it makes no difference to the team, as Pata will cover the riders’ salaries.