World Superbike entry list confirms Ioda, de Angelis

Giampiero Sacchi's team will run a pair of Aprilia RSV4s in the production-based series, ensuring the Noale-based firm remains represented on the World Superbike grid.

It marks an end to four-season stint in MotoGP for Ioda, which first joined Grand Prix racing's premier class as a Claiming Rule Team entry in 2012 with Danilo Petrucci as its sole rider.

Petrucci took the team's best ever result of eighth in that year's rain-soaked Valencia race.

Ioda switched to the Aprilia RSV4-derived ART machine in 2014, but the arrival of customer machinery from Yamaha, Honda and Ducati in the rebadged 'Open' class rendered it uncompetitive.

It persevered with de Angelis in 2015, the Sammarinese rider scoring two points before his season was ended prematurely by a violent crash during practice for the Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi.

The 31-year-old however has since recovered, and will make his World Superbike debut this month at Phillip Island after 16 successive seasons in the Grand Prix paddock that yielded four wins, all in the 250cc/Moto2 class.

His teammate will be 22-year-old Italian rider Lorenzo Savadori, the reigning champion in the Superstock 1000 class.

The arrival of Ioda in World Superbikes bolsters the total entry to 24 bikes, while reducing the size of the MotoGP grid to just 21 - its lowest level since 2012.

Provisional WSBK entry list:

No.	Rider	Team	Bike
1	Jonathan Rea	Kawasaki Racing Team	Kawasaki
2	Leon Camier	MV Agusta Reparto Corse	MV Agusta
7	Chaz Davies	Aruba.it Racing - Ducati	Ducati
9	Dominic Schmitter	Grillini Racing Team	Kawasaki
10	Imre Toth	Team Toth	Yamaha
11	Saeed Al Sulaiti	Pedercini Racing	Kawasaki
12	Xavi Fores	Barni Racing Team	Ducati
15	Alex de Angelis	IodaRacing Team	Aprilia
16	Josh Hook	Grillini Racing Team	Kawasaki
17	Karel Abraham	Milwaukee BMW	BMW
20	Sylvain Barrier	Pedercini Racing	Kawasaki
21	Markus Reiterberger	Althea Racing	BMW
22	Alex Lowes	Pata Crescent Yamaha	Yamaha
25	Josh Brookes	Milwaukee BMW	BMW
32	Lorenzo Savadori	IodaRacing Team	Aprilia
34	Davide Giugliano	Aruba.it Racing - Ducati	Ducati
40	Roman Ramos	Team Go Eleven	Kawasaki
50	Sylvain Guintoli	Pata Crescent Yamaha	Yamaha
56	Peter Sebestyen	Team Toth	Yamaha
60	Michael van der Mark	Honda World Superbike Team	Honda
61	Fabio Menghi	VFT Racing	Ducati
66	Tom Sykes	Kawasaki Racing Team	Kawasaki
69	Nicky Hayden	Honda World Superbike Team	Honda
81	Jordi Torres	Althea Racing	BMW