Ducati end World Superbike association
August 31, 2010
Bike manufacturer, Ducati, have announced that they are to end their 22-year association with the World Superbike Championship. They will be pulling out of the even as of 2011 and will shift their focus elsewhere.
Ducati are also involved in MotoGP and have signed Valentino Rossi from Yamaha and it is thought this will now become their priority.
In all, Ducati managed 13 titles in World Superbikes. Carl Fogarty was responsible for four of those. The manufacturer also earned 16 manufacturer’s titles in 21 years.
Speaking about the decision, their president said:
“This is part of a specific strategy. I’d like to thank all the riders and employees who have contributed to Ducati’s great Superbike history.”
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2010 World Superbikes Update
April 30, 2010
The 2010 World Superbikes Championship is well underway and has already seen some very tasty racing. The teams and riders have tested their wits against each other at Philip Island, Portimao, Valencia and Assen and should be on their way to Monza this weekend.
And it’s British rider Leon Haslam who has had the best of the early riding with 148 points. He is followed by Italian Max Biaggi on 128 points and fellow Brit Jonathan Rea in third on 110.
2010 is certainly looking like a year for the British riders in World Superbikes, with 7 representatives all showing promising signs in the early stages.
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Manufacturer’s Championship Update
August 25, 2009
While most people will be following the World Superbikes Driver’s Championship, there is also a manufacturer’s championship running in the background. Team total are calculated by adding the points earned by each manufacturer’s riders.
Unsurprisingly it’s Ducati that are leading so far in 2009, having accumulated 412 points. They are followed by Yamaha on 362, Honda not far behind on 306 and Aprilia 207.
Historically, Ducati have won the World Superbikes manufacturer’s championship most often with 15 titles, well ahead of their nearest rival Honda with 4, while Yamaha and Suzuki have both won the manufacturer’s championship once.
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BMW Testing At Autodromo del Mugello
July 7, 2009
Tomorrow sees the beginning of a two day test for the BMW team in Tuscany, ahead of the official testing at Imola this time next week where all teams are expected to be present.
BMW riders Troy Corser and Ruben Xaus will both be present at the Autodromo del Mugello, where they will be testing and tweaking various setups prepared by the German team.
With just 5 rounds of the World SBK 2009 season to go, the series has boiled down to a heated head to head between Noriyuki Haga and Ben Spies, the former leading by just 14 points. The next round of racing will be at Brno in the Czech Republic on 26th July.
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Spies Dominates In Utah
June 2, 2009
World SBK rookie Ben Spies completely dominated the US round of the HannSpree FIM World Superbikes Championship, racking up a double win at Miller Motorsports Park.
On a hot summer’s day at the Utah track, where facilities include restaurants, goods lifts and more, Spies showed great form to annihalate the field over the weekend, consistently performing well above the rest of the pack.
Race one saw the American take a huge lead over the opening laps, but a big crash on lap 7 involving Karl Muggeridge stopped the race temporarily. Luckily Muggeridge came away with just a few bruises, allowing Spies to power away from the restart and win by a comfortable margin.
Race two followed a similar pattern as the first, with former AMA Superbikes Champion Ben Spies leading from the first corner and storming into a huge lead to take the win with ease. Michel Fabrizio attempted to battle with Spies for the lead, sticking with the American for about half the race before settling back for second place.
The results mean Spies has closed the gap slightly on championship leader Haga who still leads by over 50 points, with the American in second and Michel Fabrizio slightly behind in third.
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Pirelli Roll Out New Tyre From Their Workshops
May 8, 2009
Tyre manufacturer Pirelli will debut a new qualifying tyre for this weekend’s World Superbike Championship at Monza, with the aim to improve both the performances and the excitement during the Superpole tomorrow. [read more]
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Ducati Grandstand To Make World SBK Debut At Monza
April 28, 2009
Fans of the Ducati range of bikes competing in WorldSBK will get a chance to show their support of the Italian manufacturer from a special grandstand at Monza on May 10. [read more]
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Haga Takes Race Two At Assen
April 26, 2009
Noriyuki Haga bounced back from the first race of the day by storming to a convincing victory in race two at the Assen TT circuit today. [read more]
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Spies Wins Race One In Assen
April 26, 2009
Ben Spies continued his successful weekend in Holland by winning the first of the two races at the Assen TT circuit today. The American pulled off a spectacular overtaking manoevre over Japanese rival Noriyuki Haga on the final lap of the race to take the win. [read more]
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Spies Notches Up Another Superpole At Assen
April 25, 2009
World Superbikes rookie Ben Spies looks set to continue his assault on the rider’s championship in his first season, as he notched up a fourth consecutive superpole victory at the Assen TT circuit. [read more]
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