Michele Pirro Dominates to Clinch Seventh Italian Superbike Championship with Ducati

Michele Pirro clinches his seventh Italian Superbike championship

Ducati's MotoGP test pilot, Michele Pirro, has once again claimed the CIV Italian Superbike championship title.

Michele Pirro, serving as the primary test pilot for Ducati Corse's MotoGP and WorldSBK initiatives, has secured his seventh championship title in the CIV Italian Superbike competition.

Pirro, who races for the Barni Ducati squad that competes with Danilo Petrucci in WorldSBK and Yari Montella in WorldSSP, clinched the championship last weekend at Mugello.

Pirro clinched his seventh championship in the CIV Superbike division, adding to his victories in 2015, between 2016 and 2019, and from 2021 to 2022, marking his 10th overall championship in the CIV series. This tally includes his triumphs in the Superstock 1000 category in 2007 and 2008, as well as a Supersport championship win in 2009.

This count places Pirro in the third position on the historical ranking for CIV championships, trailing behind Tarquinio Provini with 11 championships, and Giacomo Agostini who leads with 16, including a streak of 10 500cc championships won consecutively from 1968 to 1977.

Additionally, the championship follows a contentious conclusion to the 2023 CIV Superbike season at Imola, where an incident occurred involving Pirro's competitor, Lorenzo Zanetti. During the race, Zanetti collided with Pirro at the Variante Bassa, causing the now seven-time Superbike Champion to fall, which ultimately led to Zanetti clinching the championship.

Coincidentally, Zanetti opted out of competing for his CIV championship title this year, choosing to participate in the IDM German Superbike Championship. Zanetti had a strong start in the IDM, securing a victory in the season opener at Sachsenring, but his only other top-three finish followed in the second race of the latest event at the Nurburgring. Meanwhile, Ilya Mikhalchik has been dominating the track, clinching his fourth IDM Superbike championship this year.

Zanetti's unavailability this season has paved the way for Pirro's remarkable performance. Through the initial five rounds, Pirro, riding under the number 51, has secured victories in seven out of ten contests. The races Pirro did not win were claimed by Alessandro Delbianco, who triumphed in the first race at Mugello where Pirro did not finish, and again when Pirro came in fourth during the second race at Misano. Additionally, Luca Bernardi took the top spot in the second race at Mugello the previous weekend, a race which saw Pirro secure the championship title.

The concluding event of the 2024 CIV Superbike championship is scheduled to occur in Imola from September 27th to 29th.

Photo courtesy of Ducati Racing Team/X.

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