Xavi Fores comes into Avintia Racing to replace Loris Baz at the Gran Premio TIM di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini, taking a brief break from his duties onboard the Barni Racing Team Ducati 1199 Panigale R in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship. Fores will ride for the Frenchman at a track that saw him take some of his best results of the season in the Pirelli Riviera di Rimini Round of WorldSBK. First arriving in the MotoGP™ paddock in 2011 in Moto2™, Fores has since found great success in both national championships at home and away - winning the FIM CEV Repsol Superbike championship in 2010 and 2013, before taking the IDM Superbike crown in 2014. Replacing injured Davide Giugliano for some Rounds of the 2015 season of WorldSBK onboard the factory Aruba.it Ducati, Fores then moved up full-time in 2016 and has so far had top 4 finishes throughout the season on his Barni Racing Team-run Panigale R.