Team GoEleven has confirmed Philipp Oettl will step up from the WorldSSP Championship to make his debut in the 2022 WorldSBK Championship aboard a Ducati Panigale V4 R.
The German racer - a former GP competitor - has been competing in the WorldSSP Championship for the past two seasons but will become the latest rider to make the move into the WorldSBK class for 2022.
He will join forces with Team GoEleven and replace the retiring Chaz Davies in the Italian squad, a stalwart of the WorldSBK paddock and race winner with Michael Ruben Rinaldi in 2019.
Though Oettl is yet to taste the winners’ champagne in WorldSSP, in part because his Puccetti Kawasaki ZX-6R hasn’t had the pace or numbers to challenge the dominant Yamaha R6 front, he ius nonetheless a frequent visitor to the podium with 11 rostrum results to his name.
Following on from the likes of Andrea Locatelli, Axel Bassani and former Puccetti team-mate Lucas Mahias in making the switch from WorldSSP to WorldSBK, Oettl is excited by the opportunity to make the jump.
“I am very happy that after two successful seasons in the World Supersport Championship, I can make the step to WorldSBK with GoEleven! I hope that I can learn fast, I think that this is possible with a good group of people, and with GoEleven I have all the possibilities to achieve good results.
“From the outside, GoEleven was my desired Team, almost from the beginning of the 2022 deals. I can't wait to start this experience on the big bike, to learn as much as possible, to start next season and to improve Round by Round.
“I am happy to ride the Ducati, it's a great manufacturer and I really wanted this opportunity in Superbike, especially considering the successful past Ducati had!”
Oettl’s signing comes at the expense of BSB champion Tarran Mackenzie, who was rumoured to be joining as part of a deal that would also see GoEleven switch to Yamaha machinery. However, after the agreement with Yamaha fell through, GoEleven opted to stay with Ducati and sign Oettl.
“Philipp achieved very good results in the last two seasons in Supersport, he is young and already has experience in Moto2 and Moto3, then, after having met him personally he gave me excellent sensations,” said team manager Denis Saachetti.
“He is a very determined rider and already has a good working method, certainly transmitted by his father Peter, great protagonist of the past of motorcycling; this is certainly an added value, which will help both us and him.
“ This project gives me great excitement, it is certainly an amazing challenge, I can't wait to see him on our V4 R and start working with him. At GoEleven we are all happy to have him with us, it reflects a bit our philosophy, to believe in young people and give them an opportunity to show their potential in the main category. Philipp has amply demonstrated that he deserves the top class of the World Superbike!”
