Michele Pirro Clinches Seventh Italian Superbike Title Amid Stellar Season for Ducati Test Rider

Michele Pirro clinches his seventh Italian Superbike championship

Michele Pirro, a test rider for Ducati's MotoGP team, has claimed another CIV Italian Superbike championship.

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

Pirro, who competes for the Barni Ducati team—also known for having Danilo Petrucci in WorldSBK and Yari Montella in WorldSSP—secured the championship last weekend at Mugello.

Pirro secured his seventh championship in the CIV Superbike category, adding to his previous victories in 2015, from 2016 to 2019, and from 2021 to 2022. This latest win also marked his 10th overall title in the CIV series, which includes Superstock 1000 championships in 2007 and 2008, as well as a Supersport title in 2009.

This count places Pirro in third position on the all-time list for CIV championships, trailing Tarquinio Provini who has 11 titles, and Giacomo Agostini who holds 16 titles, with Agostini notably securing 10 consecutive 500cc championships from 1968 to 1977.

This title follows a contentious conclusion to the 2023 CIV Superbike season at Imola. In the final moments, Lorenzo Zanetti, Pirro’s competitor for the championship, collided with Pirro at the Variante Bassa. This incident caused Pirro to fall, ultimately securing the championship for Zanetti.

Interestingly, Zanetti opted not to compete to retain his CIV championship this year. Instead, he has been participating in the IDM German Superbike Championship. Zanetti started his IDM season strongly with a victory in the opening race at the Sachsenring. However, his only other podium finish so far was in the second race of the latest round at the Nurburgring. Meanwhile, most of the victories have been secured by Ilya Mikhalchik, who has claimed his fourth IDM Superbike title this year.

The period during which Zanetti has been absent has aligned with a remarkable season for Pirro. With five rounds completed, Pirro, sporting the number 51, has secured victory in seven out of ten races. Alessandro Delbianco claimed a win when Pirro did not finish the first race at the initial Mugello round, and another when Pirro placed fourth in the second race at the second Misano round. Most recently, Luca Bernardi triumphed in the second race at Mugello last weekend, where Pirro also secured the championship title.

The concluding race of the 2024 CIV Superbike season is scheduled for September 27–29 at Imola.

Photo courtesy of Ducati Corse/X.

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