Niccolò Canepa will stay on with Pramac Racing until the end of the year according to his squad, the Italian racer is excited to getting back on his Ducati engine in Portugal after rumours that Aleix Espargaró may take his spot was claimed untrue.

Canepa states, “It has not been an easy time. People have been talking about me a lot and I read the newspapers every day. There was a meeting with Ducati to clarify the situation, which the team owner Paolo Campinoti attended. Now all I can say is that I am happy I will be finishing the season on my bike.”

He adds, “No-one asked me to win the World Championship at the beginning of the year. I don’t think I have been as disappointing as people have said. I’ll finish the season and I am happy to be able to do so.”

Previewing the final four events of the year, Canepa explains, “I’ll do my best. It is a critical time with regard to the rider market for next year. Throughout the year I have been making progress in every race and I need to keep going like that in order to secure my future in the sport."

It is unlikely he will continue in the premier session of MotoGP next season, he admits,  “I don’t think I will be back in MotoGP. Riders such as Alex de Angelis and Toni Elías, who have been on the podium this year, still don’t have their rides for 2010 sorted. so I think that makes it even harder for me. Riding again in MotoGP is my dream for the future but maybe now it wouldn’t be bad to ride in another championship to gain more experience and fight for podium places.”

“I have some serious offers for Superbikes and Moto2 but nothing has been decided. Pramac aim to be in Moto2 but at the moment we are still making plans for the future.”