Michele Pirro Clinches Seventh CIV Italian Superbike Title Amidst Stellar Season

Michele Pirro clinches his seventh Italian Superbike championship

Ducati MotoGP test rider Michele Pirro has won another CIV Italian Superbike championship.

Michele Pirro, who serves as the chief test rider for Ducati Corse’s MotoGP and WorldSBK teams, has secured his seventh championship in the CIV Italian Superbike series.

Michele Pirro, representing the Barni Ducati team which also includes riders Danilo Petrucci in the World Superbike Championship and Yari Montella in the World Supersport Championship, secured the championship title last weekend at Mugello.

Pirro claimed his seventh championship in the CIV Superbike category, having previously won titles in 2015, from 2016 to 2019, and in 2021 and 2022. This victory also marked his 10th overall title in the CIV series, which includes championships in Superstock 1000 from 2007 and 2008, and a Supersport title in 2009.

This count places Pirro third on the historic leaderboard for CIV championships, trailing only Tarquinio Provini with 11 titles and Giacomo Agostini with 16 titles. Agostini notably secured 10 consecutive 500cc championships from 1968 to 1977.

This championship follows the contentious conclusion of the 2023 CIV Superbike season at Imola, where Lorenzo Zanetti, Pirro's main competitor for the title, collided with Pirro at the Variante Bassa. This incident caused Pirro to fall, ultimately allowing Zanetti to secure the championship.

Interestingly, Zanetti chose not to compete for his CIV title this year. Instead, he has been participating in the IDM German Superbike Championship. Zanetti began his IDM season successfully with a victory in the inaugural race at the Sachsenring. However, his only other podium finish was in the second race of the latest round at the Nurburgring. Meanwhile, Ilya Mikhalchik has been dominating the competition, securing his fourth IDM Superbike Championship title this year.

Zanetti's absence has aligned with an outstanding season for Pirro. Over the course of five rounds, the #51 has secured victory in seven out of ten races. Alessandro Delbianco emerged victorious when Pirro failed to finish the first race of the initial Mugello round and again when Pirro placed fourth in the second race of the second Misano round. Last weekend, Luca Bernardi won the second race at Mugello as Pirro secured the championship.

The concluding stage of the 2024 CIV Superbike championship is scheduled to be held at Imola from September 27 to September 29.

Photo courtesy of Ducati Corse/X.

Further Reading

Recent Updates

Recent Updates

Site Map

Crash.Net

©1999-2024 Crash Media Group

It is forbidden to reproduce any part of the text, images, or drawings, whether in whole or in part, in any manner.