Factoꦇry Ducati World Superbike team boss Davide Tardozzi has confirmed that he is leaving the company.

The news comes hot on the heels of a similar shocꩵk departure by Ducati's MotoGP team boss Livio Suppo.

Suppo is expected to move to a rival MotoGP team, with Honda the most hotly tipped, but Tardozzi - whose riders Noriyuki Haga and Michel Fabrizio finis💛hed second and third in the 2009 WSBK championship - claims he has no plans in place.

"It was a painful decision. You cannot leave a company with whom you have worked exceptionally for almost 20 years without feeling regret," Tardozzi told GPone.com.

"I was♉ losing motivation and therefore thought it appropriate to notify Ducati of my decision in time to prepare my replacement before the new season.

"I will remain in racing only if I am🃏 offered something important. And so far nothing has come up. Otherwise I will get on with other activities outside of motorcycling. But racing is still my world."

Tardozzi won five races for Bimota on his way to third overall during the inaugural🌳 1988 season of WSBK comꦇpetition.

Later turning to team management with Ducati, he oversaw a p🐼eriod of unprecedented Ducati success with title victories for Carl Fogarty (4), Troy Bayliss (3), Troy Corser (1),꧅ Neil Hodgson (1) and James Toseland (1).

This y🧸ear, Tardozzi faced criticism for apparently not imposing team orders on Fabrizio to help Haga's title challenge, but it is unknown if 💝that was a significant factor in his exit.

Haga and Faꩲbrizio will both remain with the Ducati Xerox Team in 2010.