WSBK – WSBK Guide: teams, drivers and challenges for the 2012 season – Ducati: last lap of the 1198

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WSBK guide: teams, drivers and challenges for the 2012 season

WSBK - WSBK Guide: teams, drivers and challenges for the 2012 season - Ducati: last lap of the 1198

The World Superbike Championship (WSBK) is playing its 25th season this year! Site will cover the events almost live every Sunday, but invites you to discover now the forces in the presence of the WSBK 2012. Practical Guide.

Ducati: last lap of the 1198

Although the new 1199 Panigale arrives this spring in the, it will only replace the 1198 in the Superstock 1000 2012 Cup. The Italians have in fact chosen to reuse with the Panigale the method used with the previous model..

One measure, two weights !

Last year, two-cylinder (Ducati) and 4-cylinder (other brands) started the WSBK season with the same minimum weight, namely 165 kg. Following their performances in 2011 – and in accordance with the learned calculations carried out by the International Motorcycling Federation (FIM) -, the 1198 must now weigh 171 kg. "The minimum weight for motorcycles with 1200 cc twin cylinder can be reduced twice by 3 kg, to reach a maximum reduction of 6 kg, or increased once by 3 kg, to reach the weight of 174 kg", specifies the FIM. The Ducati is also equipped with a 50 mm inlet flange which can be revised upwards and downwards in the event that the Bologna Superbike reaches the minimum or maximum weight ratings. .. Not easy !

Released in 2007, the 1098 had indeed first cut its teeth in Superstock and even won the title with the Australian Brendan Roberts in this category serving as the antechamber of the WSBK. The following year it was a much more famous Aussie who would face – and beat! – Japanese sportswomen in Superbike configuration: Troy Bayliss won his third and final world title.

Beaten by the phenomenal Ben Spies in 2009 – but not by the R1 in the constructors’ classification -, then by the determined Max Biaggi and the RSV4 in 2010, the 1198 finally regained "its" world crowns (driver and manufacturer) for the year last, Carlos Checa obtaining on the same occasion his first world title.

The 1198 is therefore preparing to compete in a 5th and final season at the highest level. They will be seven – against four in 2011 – to defend the colors of the Bologna factory which, let us remember in passing, no longer engages an official team since the 2010 season..

The first Spanish champion in the discipline, Checa had to wait until the age of 39 to win his first world crown. A great reward for a driver who paced the tracks of the Intercontinental Circus for 15 years – he made his GP 125 debut in 1993! – with for best result a 4th place in GP500 1998.

After a start in WSBK made difficult by the lunatic CBR, Carlos found in the 1198 a much more convenient companion which allowed him to make 2011 "his" year: out of 28 races, El Toro reached the podium 21 times. , including 15 times on the highest step !

It was only on the Monza circuit that Checa and his Ducati could not claim victory, for lack of extension in the straights. This will undoubtedly always be the case in 2012, but will the "old" 1198 still be in the game and will it be able to defend its titles on the other tracks? ?

"I prefer not to say much", replied Checa during the official presentation of the Althea team, because"race predictions cannot be made! We are however certain that the coming season will be tough, the competition will be fierce and we will be fighting with more or less the same bike as in previous seasons.".

Very discreet about his winter tests – whether at the controls of his Superbike or those of the MotoGP GP12 prototype – Carlos declares himself confident and even impatient to resume competition with his motorcycle and his favorite n ° 7 glued to its fairing, even if a n ° 1 will be clearly identifiable … Caramba, he did not steal it !

The box of the world champion team – be careful however, unlike MotoGP there is no real team classification in WSBK – is growing this year as the Althea team will enter a second bike: Davide Giugliano’s n ° 34.

Titled in 2011 in Superstock 1000 with the same team, Davide entered the big league in 2012. The Roman driver was less domineering last year than his compatriot Badovini was on his BMW in 2010 (4 wins and 7 podiums in 9 races, against 9 wins and a 2nd place in 10 races!), But he will still have to watch it closely.

Giugliano, who turned 22 on October 28, will certainly be able to count on his youth and his ardor to stand out – in a good way, as in a bad way? – in the midst of his new comrades. As for the Ducati factory, it will naturally scrutinize the least of its actions in order to find a future champion for the Panigale !

"I hope to be good from the start of the season", warns the rookie (" beginner "in good old French). And terribly clairvoyant, he adds:"I’m riding the reigning champion bike in the reigning champion team, so I really won’t have any excuses !"

On Ducati last year already but united in 2012 within the same team, our two national representatives Sylvain Guintoli and Maxime Berger will also try to make the most of the fabulous potential of the Bolognese..

Seventh in the 2010 Superbike World Championship on the GSX-R 1000 Alstare, then sixth on the famous 1198 in 2011, Sylvain’s sole objective will be the podium he climbed three times last year. We also hope that 2012 will be for him the year of his first victory in a race of international rank. !

Best private driver of GP 250 on his Aprilia Team of France Scrab in 2006, the native of Montelimar – who now lives in England, not far from Donington Park – has in fact won only one race in the last 12 years: that of the opening of the 2009 British Superbike at Brands Hatch.

Site will not return – OK, very quickly – to this black season marked by his terrible leg injury, which did not however prevent him from joining the great WSBK caravan the following year. On the other hand, it is interesting to look back on his start to the 2011 season, upset by a new injury during the opening at Phillip Island….

"I felt comfortable from the start with the team and the bike. It worked really well at Phillip Island as we had been quick in all practice sessions and never left the top 3 in Superpole. And then I had this big accident in race 1", recalls n ° 50 on the .

"I was seriously injured, broke my arm and shoulder, and damaged my knee ligaments. After that, even though I didn’t miss a race, I was far from being in good shape and it was a big fight", continues the pilot who will be in his thirties on June 24.

"Towards the end of the season, I started to regain my confidence and my physical form returned. I think I’ve always been in the top seven in the last ten races of the season"(after verification, it turns out that Sylvain finished in the Top 6 during the last eleven races, Editor’s note).

"We have been on the podium three times and we almost won in Portimao. Overall, it was therefore a good season, despite this big fall at the start which forced me to recover for a long time.", Syl ‘concludes, from which we expect an even better 2012 season !

Also in the thirteen circuits of the championship – the 14th in Moscow will be new for everyone -, the Ducati Superbike and Pirelli tires, Maxime Berger can also carry the tricolor high..

The Dijonnais had an exemplary first season, showing flawless application and determination, and even remarkable self-sacrifice in the face of the super-capricious character of his Ducati Supersonic….

Because the problems rocketed from all sides in 2011 for our national "Mad Max": clutch (twice), shifter, electronics, spark plug (twice too!), Collision with another pilot … Maxime even powered the "buzz" on the Internet with a spectacular rim break in Donington Park … How, you haven’t seen the video yet ?

The first assessment of No. 121 is not however disappointing: after his baptism of fire at Phillip Island almost a year ago, Maxime has always finished his races in points and has climbed into the Top 10 on five occasions..

"I intend to give the maximum throughout this season, take my colors to the highest level and show what the Burgundians have in their guts", he told his fans on his official website a few days before the end of 2011.

In the same spontaneous tone, Maxime added: "the sliders are already ready to leave some rubber on the tracks, the motivation is at the cleat and I already want to get out of the way with all the other drivers in the championship, but let’s stay calm and drink fresh"…

"Berger is a promising youngster, we will give him a lot of attention in the years to come", for his part guarantees the new team manager of Effenbert Liberty Racing, Fabio Alberti, an Italian who has just arrived from MotoGP where he worked for Lucio Cecchinello and his LCR team since 1999, after having started his career four years earlier with by Max Biaggi at Aprilia In other words, Max is in good hands !

The Czech team will field three motorcycles this year since Jakub Smrz has been renewed. The driver – also Czech – is expected around the corner: "Smrz is a very experienced driver who suffered at the end of the season, but I believe he will be back at his best", considers the new boss Fabio.

Although he only landed one pole position in 2009, Kuba has built a solid reputation as a swift one-lap rider. Excellent during the free and then qualifying sessions, the n ° 96 unfortunately always had more trouble in the race.

Like Sylvain, Jakub was on the podium three times last season and like Sylvain always, he has never won a race in his international career despite 132 starts in the WSBK. His 11 white results in 2011 even prevented him from beating his best result in the world championship: 10th in 2009, he finished 14th last year. Can do better, that’s for sure !

This year, two other Italians will be driving Ducatis in their own structures. The best known of the two is undoubtedly Niccolo Canepa, a pilot who is akin to a kind of OCNI (Unidentified Common Object)…

European Superstock 600 runner-up on ZX-6R in 2006 and Superstock 1000 champion with the brand new 1098 in 2007, Niccolo became a MotoGP test rider for Ducati for one year and joined the Pramac Racing satellite team in 2009.

A meteoric rise to the top category which comes to an end: the young Italian – born May 14, 1988 in Genoa – fails to break through and only enters the Top 10 "twice", finishing the season in 16th square.

He spent the following year in Moto2 but did not meet any more success there, climbing successively on a Scot (8 races), a Suter (one race) and a Bimota (2 races) without ever scoring a single point … Disappointed but not dejected, he finally returned in STK 1000 in 2011, the first three races on ZX-10R and the following ones on 1198 !

Author of seven Top 5 including three third places, the n ° 59 – famous in Italy – wins his ticket for the World Superbike. Taking into account his particular status as test pilot, Canepa will therefore change discipline for the seventh consecutive year, which is undoubtedly a record. !

Canepa and his Red Devils Roma team completed two test days at the end of January in Vallelunga (Italy): "I tried to do a few quick laps and had a good time. With the softest tires, I signed a 1’36.5 (Bayliss holds the track record in 1’35.890, NDLR) and that made me particularly happy", rejoices the pilot…

After five seasons to be zoned around the 20th place in the GP 125 world championship (from 2005 to 2009), Lorenzo Zanetti also stood out in the European court of Superstock 1000. Arrived in the middle of the 2010 season, he collected the good points with his Ducati: 66 in 5 races (out of 10 normally), which earned him 6th place overall.

A third place at the same championship last year – riding a BMW this time – gave him a solid CV line (2011: 5 podiums and a victory!) Which allowed him to land a job as a World Superbike driver. within the Pata Racing team.

But the task will not be easy for Lorenzo Zanetti as he replaces the charismatic Noriyuki Haga. The guy, however, has for him a good sense of humor – the best, self-mockery – since his nickname is "Front Loser", which can be translated as "the one who loses the front" !

The Pata Racing team also has their work cut out for them: they are back in a Ducati 1198 after a little more than a season spent on the Aprilia RSV4. But that does not prevent his team manager, Andrea Prando, from seeing the future with optimism. On the contrary !

"Having a young driver as determined as Lorenzo in the team is a major asset", assures the Italian manager."I am sure that having a rider of his caliber and the bike that won the last championship will allow us to have a good course.". Response very soon on Site !

Ducati teams

  • # 7
    WSBK: 108 starts, 40 podiums including 20 wins, 8 poles

  • # 34
    WSBK: 2 starts
  • # 50
    WSBK: 53 starts, 3 podiums

  • # 96
    WSBK: 132 starts, 4 podiums, 1 pole

  • # 121
    WSBK: 26 starts
  • Niccolo Canepa # 59
    WSBK: 2 starts
  • # 78
    Rookie 2012

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