2012 marks the 25th anniversary of World Superbike (now called “SBK” for reasons that escape reason) racing. To celebrate, riders will be running these special Pirellis for qualifying at Monza this weekend. If you’re as bad at relationships as we are, you’ll be surprised to learn that silver is traditionaly associated with 25th anniversaries. It’s a subtly neat graphic nod that should look good no matter what livery they’re accompanying.
“I’m 40, why am I still racing?” Asks 2010 SBK World Champion Max Biaggi. But, growing up in a home without motorcycles, he didn’t even see a racetrack until he was 18 years old. Then, putting everything on the line in pursuit of a new found dream, Max’s father helped him start 125cc Sport Production, eventually becoming 250cc World Champion just a few years later. An old friend, I sat down with him in his Los Angeles home to talk about that past, his present racing an Aprilia RSV4 and, something any 40 year old thinks about, the future.
Photos: Max Biaggi archives/Clive Challinor/Aprilia Racing
The 2012 Honda CBR1000RR gains fancy new suspension and revised aerodynamics. The former won’t carry over to the already incredibly high-spec world of SBK racing, but the aerodynamics should. Peak under the chin of this new Castrol Honda and you’ll see the same tiny spoiler, designed to reduced lift, as the production bike, as well as the new-for-2012 layered fairings and their use of a low pressure area to draw cooling air through the radiator and smooth airflow over the rider. :continue:
2012 is going to be a big year for Aprilia Racing. After a definitive Championship in 2010, the team suffered an embarrassing defeat to a privateer rival last year. This is also probably the last year before the 1199 heads to SBK and a year in which Japanese budgets will continue to be low while their bikes remain relatively uncompetitive. These are the bikes Eugene Laverty and Max Biaggi will be campaigning in the series. New graphics reflect the changes made to the consumer 2012 Aprilia RSV4 Factory APRC, accentuating that bike’s graphic swoosh with Italian tri-colors.
What makes this photo of the Ducati 1199 Panigale different from the previous 60 or so? Well, it’s a pretty good close up of the fairing, sans Post-It Note camo, this bike is wearing SBK-spec suspension, the tail looks as ridiculously pointy as ever and the tank appears to make room for some KTM RC8-esque sliders. That’s not a huge amount of bike for something making 195bhp, but at 395lbs (wet), it’s not ever going to be considered large.
Ducati has put a name on its new superbike and announced its racing plans for the new model in a teaser video. The Ducati 1199 Panigale — named after a neighborhood in Bologna — will compete in the 2012 Superstock Championship, moving on to SBK in 2013. The official unveiling, as always, is scheduled for EICMA in November. :continue:
Yesterday, we brought you the very first image of the 2012 Ducati superbike testing at Mugello in SBK trim. Now, here’s the first picture of the production machine that will hit dealers next year. Make no mistake, this is going to be a radically different motorcycle to the current 1198, just check out the under-engine exhaust, horizontal shock, lack of a traditional steel trellis frame and tiny proportions for evidence.
Update: this is a scan from MotoSprint.
If you watched SBK this weekend, then you saw the rear wheel fly off Maxime Berger’s Ducati 1198 R. Here’s the first photos of that magnesium Oz Racing wheel post-crash. As you can see, the spokes sheared off just above the hub. :continue:
“His sarcastic applause when we returned to the pits was ugly and uncalled for,” raged an embittered Max Biaggi after Marco Melandri gave him the slow clap and made sarcastic remarks about Biaggi’s performance. What happened next is a clear explanation as to why you never, ever fuck with a crazy Italian. :continue:
While everyone’s focus is on another Italian rider/Italian motorcycle combo for 2011, it’s easy to forget that last year Max Biaggi became the first ever Italian SBK champion and did it on an Italian motorcycle. Today, Max rolls out his new livery, proudly displaying a number 1.
