Michele Pirro Clinches Seventh CIV Italian Superbike Title, Solidifying Legacy with Ducati

Michele Pirro clinches his seventh Italian Superbike championship

Ducati MotoGP test rider Michele Pirro has claimed another CIV Italian Superbike crown.

Michele Pirro, who serves as the official test rider for Ducati Corse's MotoGP and WorldSBK teams, has secured his seventh title in the CIV Italian Superbike Championship.

Last weekend at Mugello, Pirro, who competes for the Barni Ducati team which also includes Danilo Petrucci in WorldSBK and Yari Montella in WorldSSP, secured the championship.

Pirro secured his seventh championship in the CIV Superbike category, adding to his previous victories in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2022. This achievement also marked his 10th overall title in the CIV series, having previously won the Superstock 1000 championships in 2007 and 2008, as well as the Supersport championship in 2009.

This count positions Pirro as the third-highest on the all-time list for CIV championships, following Tarquinio Provini with 11 titles and Giacomo Agostini with 16 titles, the latter having secured 10 consecutive 500cc championships from 1968 to 1977.

The title follows a contentious conclusion to the 2023 CIV Superbike season at Imola. Last year, Lorenzo Zanetti, Pirro's title competitor, collided with Pirro at the Variante Bassa, causing the now seven-time Superbike Champion to fall and consequently awarding the title to Zanetti.

Zanetti chose not to participate in the defense of his CIV championship this year. Instead, he opted to compete in the IDM German Superbike Championship. Zanetti began his IDM season strongly with a victory in the opening race at Sachsenring. However, his only other podium finish so far was in the second race of the latest round at Nurburgring. Meanwhile, Ilya Mikhalchik has dominated the series, securing his fourth IDM Superbike title this year.

Zanetti's absence has matched up with an outstanding season for Pirro. In five rounds, the #51 rider has secured victories in seven out of 10 races. Alessandro Delbianco claimed a win when Pirro didn't finish the first race at the initial Mugello round and another when Pirro came in fourth in the second race at the second Misano round. Luca Bernardi then won the second race at Mugello last weekend, during which Pirro also secured the championship title.

The concluding race of the 2024 CIV Superbike season is scheduled to be held at Imola from September 27th to 29th.

Photo courtesy of Ducati Corse/X.

Explore Further

Recent Updates

Recent Updates

Site Navigation

Crash.Net

©1999-2024 Crash Media Group

Copying or reproducing any text, photos, or illustrations, whether in whole or in part, is prohibited in all forms.