Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) will be a MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship rider next season after inking a deal with his current Barni Ducati team to race alongside Danilo Petrucci in 2025. Montella has been a revelation this season, fighting for the WorldSSP title, and regardless of the outcome of that battle he knows his future is secure and in WorldSBK with the team keeping faith in the #55.

Montella made his WorldSSP debut in 2021 with a one-off appearance and scored sixth in Race 2 at Portimao, before making a full-time switch in 2022 with Kawasaki Puccetti Racing. He secured one win – at Phillip Island – but it wasn’t enough to keep his seat on the ZX-6R. He found a new home at Barni Ducati in 2023 where he claimed five podiums, showing his potential, before having a breakthrough 2024 campaign.

He started the season with a double win in Australia, before adding two more wins at Portimao and winning Race 2 at Magny-Cours. 10 podiums in 16 races so far means he’s on 275 points, just 14 behind Championship leader Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team). That gap has come down in recent rounds and, with four rounds to go, the #55 finds himself in a strong position to take the title fight down to the wire.

Discussing his move to WorldSBK, Montella said: “For my career, this is a very important moment. Reaching the top of the category was my goal, it was a dream, to be honest. Doing it with a team I've worked with for two years and having a teammate like Petrucci makes it even more special. In this situation, I have the opportunity to learn and "steal" many small secrets from the team and my teammate. Compared to WorldSSP, there will be many more variables to manage, but I can't wait to start competing in WorldSBK. However, I haven’t started thinking about 2025 yet; I'm very focused on finishing this WorldSSP season in the best way possible. After the races in Jerez, I will start considering the new bike.”

Team Manager Marco Barnabo added: “Fielding a second bike in WorldSBK is a very important decision for us; we’ve been working well, and all the conditions were right to take this step: on one hand, Yari has shown over the past two years with us that he deserves the promotion to the higher category, and it was right to continue this journey together. On the other hand, our intention has always been to keep growing. In these years, we've always worked hard, and with the second Superbike, we are reaping the rewards of our efforts, thanks also to the support of the sponsors who have decided to stand by our side.”

The team announced their intention to run two bikes in 2025 when Petrucci was confirmed for next season, and that has now become a reality with Montella’s promotion to WorldSBK. The team will have a mix of experience and youth for next season, with Montella having a MotoGP™ race winner to learn from as he progresses throughout his rookie season.

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