They say time flies when you’re having fun. It’s hard to believe the World Superbike Championship is celebrating its 25th anniversary this coming weekend in Monza, Italy.
A number of events are planned at Monza to allow fans to get up close with the motorcycles and riders, to celebrate a championship that has been enjoying tremendous success since 1988.
According to a press release from the eni Superbike World Championship, “The Autodromo Nazionale Monza is one of the historic venues of the production-based series and due to its tradition and fascination there could not be a better place to host an event of this kind.”
Among the activities includes an exhibition of “SBK 25 Years: the Top Bikes” including approximately thirty of the top machines to grace World Superbike racing since the series inception. Among them, according to eni World Superbike, “ the Honda RC30 with which Californian Fred Merkel won the first world title in 1988. There will also be all the most important models from Aprilia, Bimota, Ducati, Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Yamaha and also the Petronas FP1, which together with Benelli, is the only three-cylinder machine to have raced in Superbike.”
Some of the most legendary World Superbike Champions will also be on hand for the event including Merkel (two world titles), Texan Doug Polen (two titles), New Zealand’s Aaron Slight, and Italians Fabrizio Pirovano and Pierfrancesco Chili. Britain’s Carl Fogarty, the undisputed ‘King’ of Superbike with 59 wins and 4 titles to his name, is also expected to attend along with as well as Australia’sTroy Bayliss (3 titles), all the way from Australia.
Eni World Superbike organizers note that race-going fans can meet the legends on Saturday 5 May in the Paddock Show at the end of the Superpole press conference (approx. 4.15 pm), where they will be available for autograph signing sessions. The initiative will be repeated on Sunday 6 May after the press conference following race two.
For those not fortunate enough to be present at Monza, Inside Motorcycles’ own Colin Fraser has been reflecting recently on the history of World Superbike in a three part series on his blog. Be sure to check it out on the Blogs section of our website.
<
