Ducati Corse lost one of their possible options for the Ducati Austin team when Shane Byrne, the reigning British Superbike Champion, signed with the Aprilia MotoGP team for 2004.

“I am really pleased to accept the Aprilia offer,” Shane Byrne, who rode a MonsterMob Ducati this year, said. “To sign for a leading factory such as Aprilia is a real honor.

“I am under no illusions of how challenging the MotoGP class is going to be. Aprilia have produced a list of GP champions. My aim is to learn and grow in the MotoGP Championship and make that list longer.”

Byrne was a hot property this season. In addition to the Aprilia and Ducati Austin offers, he had the option of staying with his BSB team or racing for the Foggy Petronas team in World Superbike.

One thing is certain, Shakey won’t be using Michelin tires next year. The Aprilia team won’t have access to the World Championship-winning tires and instead must choose between Dunlop, which they ran until this year, and Bridgestone.

With Shakey out of the equation now Nori Haga, one of the riders he’s replacing, moves to the top of the list.