Haga has joined PATA Aprilia for 2011 on a factory RSV4.

Japanese veteran Noriyuki Haga will join the PATA Racing Team for the 2011 World Superbike Championship on a factory-supported Aprilia RSV4.

Haga has endured a frustrating season in 2010 with the now defunct Ducati Xerox team, rejoining Aprilia for next season.

This was made possible thanks to Remo Gobbi, owner and C.E.O. of PATA spa, Daniele Carli ,owner of the WSBK team DFX Corse and Marco Borciani, former rider and now team manager of the squad.

“We agreed to resume our investment for 2011 as both ourselves and Marco Borciani appreciated Aprilia’s reliability in the final part of the season,” Gobbi said. “We believe our company’s image will increase compared to this season.

“Our bike will be the recent world champion and we will also have a top rider, who is capable of battling for the top of the table and score important results in single races. I believe the World Superbike Championship is an important international showcase, which can greatly spread our brand.”

The group had a common intent, that of aiming high next season thanks to a rider with undisputed skills and to a bike which became the new world champion just a few days ago.

The team will have its headquarters in Pressana, in the racing unit owned by Daniele Carli, where machines and logistics will be handled, while the technical staff is still being decided.

“I’m really happy to announce the birth of a new team and a new collaboration with Marco Borciani, who will be managing the squad,” Carli said.

“We will race on a factory bike, which made us decide for a strong rider such as Noriyuki Haga, who is a big name in Superbike history. I would also like to thank Ducati for their helpfulness in all these seasons, during which we collaborated and scored important results.”

Borciani is also excited for the collaboration and signing Haga to the team after working with Jakub Smrz during this year.

“I will once again collaborate with Daniele Carli,” Borciani said. “Last time I was a rider, between 2002 and 2005, when I scored my best World Superbike results.

“He is a person for whom I have the utmost respect and with whom I share my way of understanding racing. Our mutual will to collaborate with Aprilia made the rest. We decided to join forces and aim high. Our sponsors, who supported us this season, were happy to confirm their faith in such an important project as well.”

Haga is scheduled to make his Aprilia debut on Tuesday during the first test for the 2011 season.