Michel Fabrizio had to wait till after today’s World Superbike race 2 at Portimao to know that Carlos Checa would be staying with Althea Ducati, which left the door open for him to immediately sign up with the BMW Italia Superbike team.

Fabrizio will join Ayrton Badovini in the all-Italian team in the 2012 World Superbike Championship and will get the chance to ride the BMW S1000RR in the post season test on Tuesday October 18th as Alstare Suzuki team owner Francis Batta has already released him and will be fielding a new rider next season.

“We are delighted to have Michael in our team for 2012 which will show a significant performance jump, thanks to more planning than was possible for the 2011 season. He is a talented rider who has not yet had the results that he deserves. I am confident that the technical and personnel support will ensure that Michel can show his potential . With the appointment of Michael and the confirmation of Ayrton’s place, it will be a good all-Italian team of riders and engineers combined with the extraordinary BMW technology, ” said Andrea Buzzoni, Director of BMW Motorrad Italy and Project Director of BMW Motorrad Italia Superbike Team.

Michel Fabrizio:
“I am very pleased with the signing of this contract and I hope to repay the trust that the team has shown in me. I am happy to be working again with people that were part of my team for three years and that will provide a stabe environment that will help me do well. I am very motivated and ready to play my part next season because I know that the project is ambitious and the team is good. “

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That Alstare Suzuki’s World Superbike team is having problems making ends meet isn’t exactly new news and that Francis Batta in a statement just over a month declared that “if Suzuki decides not to take part in the World Superbike Championship next year, Francis will also stop rather than continue with another manufacturer,” so this statement by Michel Fabrizio posted on Facebook by Batta’s wife Patricia, reads at least from our point of view more like a definite farewell than anything else.

Hello everyone, I have nothing to criticize regarding the work carried out by Francis, not at a personal level nor contractually. At Brno, Francis and I by mutual agreement, decided to revise our previous contract provisions that were agreed upon at the beginning of the season and this is to help support the team in a time of difficulty. I’ve been paid up to today.

That said, I want to thank the whole team for the work done so far, but in particular I’d like to thank Francis and Patricia who’ve believed in me and are helping me to find new opportunities for my future, if Suzuki should stop officially supporting World Superbikes.

Batta has already cut back to only one rider this year and if the Japanese manufacturer decides to drop even the minimal support they are currently giving, it will become very tough for him to field a team in 2012 even as a privateer, and notwithstanding the new cost saving rules that World Superbikes could adopt next season.

With just three rounds left in the championship, not doubt we’ll be hearing more about the fate of this popular team in the following weeks.

Source | motoblog.it

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It was probably a matter of pro forma because former Ducati Xerox rider Michel Fabrizio, who already tested the Suzuki GSX-R1000 during the post season test at Magny-Cours has been officially confirmed that he’ll be riding with Alstare Suzuki in 2011.

It will be a welcome return for the Italian who won the 2003 European Superstock Championship with Batta’s team. Fabrizio, who will be the sole rider for the Belgium based team next season: “I am very happy with how the tests went at Magny-Cours, even though the weather was not so good on the first day. I am a bit surprised how easily I got used to the Suzuki Alstare bike after three years of riding a twin. A twin requires a completely different style to a four, so to jump onto a four and get comfortable so soon is a very good sign. Having known the team from before obviously helped and soon I felt as if I had never been away. My first impressions of the bike are that it feels strong and can be a title contender. Leon showed that this year, so I am looking forward to more tests and then racing it. This championship is very hard and competitive and you have to be on your game all the time. But, I know I have a good team behind me and I think we can have a very good season next year.”

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Aprilia conquered the WSBK manufacturers title in race 1 with Max Biaggi’s 4th place, but wanted to end the 2010 season on another high note and World Champion Max Biaggi didn’t disappoint his team, taking his tenth win of the season in race 2 at Magny-Cours keeping race 1 winner Cal Crutchlow at bay in the last half of the race.

Completing the podium was Michel Fabrizio in the last race for the Ducati factory team, in a last lap thriller fended off a very in form Sylvain Guintoli (who was fined €1000 for not observing the black flag in race 1).

Fifth went to Noriyuki Haga followed by Jakub Smrz who made a mistake at the end of lap 1 and had to play catch up again, Luca Scassa was seventh followed by the Ducati Althea due but with Shane Byrne finishing ahead of his team mate Carlos Checa.

Tenth place went to Leon Haslam, who had a bad start and then got caught up in James Toseland’s crash, the Yamaha Stgerilgarda’s second of the day in a season to forget. Troy Corser had to retire for the second time with technical problems as did e Fabrizio Lai while Lorenzo Lanzi crashed out.

Ruben Xaus and Jonathan Rea did not take part in race 2 both riders battling injuries.

Continue reading: WSBK Magny-Cours: Max Biaggi takes final race of the 2010 season

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With the World Superbike Championship title now firmly in Max Biaggi’s hand, the first free practice at the French circuit of Magny-Cours for the final round of the season, saw Michel Fabrizio take the top spot of the time charts with a best lap of 1′39.175, in what will be the Ducati factory’s last race weekend.

The Italian rider, who has yet to announce for which team he’ll be riding for next season, was followed by an excellent Ruben Xaus (who will be replaced by Leon Haslam in BMW in 2011 and is still looking for a saddle) in second spot despite a crash at turn 13 in the final minutes of the session.

Third went to Cal Crutchlow who will be moving to MotoGP next season and he was followed by Jakub Smrz on the Aprilia Pata B&G (next year with Liberty Racing) who was ahead of Noriyuki Haga (with Aprilia DFX-Borciani) and Lorenzo Lanzi, who also crashed during the session. James Toseland and Shane Byrne who are still officially without a ride for 2011 where seventh and eighth respectively.

Continue reading: WSBK Magny-Cours: Michel Fabrizio draws first blood in free practice

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Althea Ducati’s Carlos Checa took the top spot in this afternoon’s qualifying practice 1 at Nurburgring and lead an almost all Ducati charge, with only Troy Corser able to put his BMW in second with a final lunge in the dying minutes of the session.

Despite a crash earlier in the session, Michel Fabrizio took the third spot and was five tenths from the privateer Ducati rider and he was followed by an impressive Shane Byrne and Noriyuki Haga.

Max Biaggi dropped from his first spot in free practice to sixth in this session with Cal Crutchlow and Jonathan Rea in seventh and eighth, while Jakub Smrz on his privateer Aprilia took the ninth position and Tom Sykes who tested the new 2011 Ninja at Almeria rounded out the top ten position.

Continue reading: WSBK Nurburgring: Carlos Checa on top in QP1

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Contrary to what he rarely does on Friday, it was Max Biaggi who topped the charts in the first free practice at Nurburgring. The Italian tested his Aprilia at the Mugello the other day to shake off some of the rust after the long summer break, best time was 1.56.571 that was just 0.055s faster than Ducati’s Michel Fabrizio.

The Italian rider who married his long time live-in and mother of his two children during the long summer break and received the bad news that Ducati will be pulling their factory team next season also tested at the Mugello.

The third spot went to Althea’s Carlos Checa who finished ahead of the Ducati Xerox rider Noriyuki Haga (who will also find himself without a team) and Shane Byrne, making it four Ducati’s in the first five spots.

Jonathan Rea was sixth and the last rider to break the 1.57 barrier. Cal Crutchlow who dislocated his knee during a training accident during the summer hiatus was seventh. Leon Haslam struggled for most the session and only towards the end of the hour practice managed to take eighth.

Continue reading: WSBK Nurburgring: Max Biaggi tops in FP

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Today’s Superpole session at the Silverstone circuit saw Sterilgarda Yamaha’s Cal Crutchlow take his fifth pole position of the season and dominate all three stints. The Brit rider in the first stint put in a 2′04.580 lap on race tires that Michel Fabrizio, who completed the stint in second was distant 0.535s away. The second stint saw Crutchlow again finish on top with a best lap of 2′04.377, but this time his rivals were slightly closer. The Crutchlow domination continued into the third stint where he once again lowered his lap time and came out with a blazing 2′04.091 lap that was completely untouchable by the other seven riders who made it into the final stint.

On the front row with Crutchlow will be Jonathan Rea, who was the only other rider to go under the 2.05 mark in the third stint, but he was 0.672 of a second slower than Crutchlow. Alongside Rea will be Ducati Xerox’s Michel Fabrizio and a surprising Jakub Smrz on the Pata B&G private Aprilia on his second round with the new bike bested factory Aprilia riders Max Biaggi and Leon Camier, with Biaggi taking the sixth spot and Camier not making it out of Superpole 2 after cutting a turn while taking a tow from his team mate.

BMW’s Troy Corser and his teammate Ruben Xaus ended up seventh and eighth . Althea Ducati’s Shane Byrne, who also cut a turn will start with the ninth spot on the grid. Byrne will be joined on row three by his teammate Carlos Checa, Alstare Suzuki’s Sylvain Guintoli and Sterilgarda Yamaha’s James Toseland who suffered a fast lowside in the dying moments of Superpole 2.

Continue reading: WSBK Silverstone: Cal Crutchlow Speeds to the Pole Position

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Max Biaggi decided to dominate and win Race 2 at Brno to celebrate the announcement that his girlfriend Eleonora is expecting their second child. The Roman Emperor with this race, took his 9th victory of the season and a massive 68 points advantage on his nearest rival, Leon Haslam in the championship standings.

Jonathan Rea, after his splendid win in Race 1, once again took the lead and managed to hold off hard charging Biaggi until the sixth lap, when the Aprilia rider passed him at turn 4, taking the head of the race. Biaggi would then put in several laps under the two minute mark, putting a big space between himself and the rest of the field, with a best lap of 1′59.763 that also set the new Brno race record.

Jonathan Rea had to settle for a distant second place, more than four seconds back, but seemed happy with his podium and his return to form. Michel Fabrizio gained the third spot on the podium after Ruben Xaus, loosing the front of his BMW crashed out of third on lap fourteen at the first turn.

James Toseland finished in fourth. The Yamaha rider had a bad start from ninth on the grid and was 15th at the end of lap one, but steadily reeled in all his rivals to pass Noriyuki Haga for the fourth spot on the penultimate lap. Team mate Cal Crutchlow, who was on the podium in race 1, had problems with a defective tire and pitted to change the tire and rejoined the race to finish 14th and picking up a couple of precious points.

Continue reading: WSBK Brno: Max Biaggi Runs Away with Race 2 - Ducati's to Shed Another 3 kilos

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Four Ducati’s in the top five spots with a lonely Aprilia in second spot. Michel Fabrizio headed the top of the timesheets in this morning’s QP2 at Brno with an impressive 1′58″695 lap grabbed in the dying minutes of the session leaving Max Biaggi just 0.257s behind him.

Noriyuki Haga who finished first in yesterday’s QP1 had to settle for third and unable to better his lap times. Two privateer Ducati riders were fourth and fifth, Luca Scassa (Supersonic Racing) and Lorenzo Lanzi (DFX Corse) - making it four Italians and two Italian manufacturers inside the top five.

Cal Crutchlow took sixth ahead of Ruben Xaus and Jakub Smrz who certainly looks like he’s been riding an Aprilia all season instead of making the switch just two days ago. Jonathan Rea managed a ninth place and James Toseland closed out the top ten.

Leon Haslam was able to make a small step forward from yesterday, but still unable to crack the top ten with his 13th position.

Out of the Brno Superpole are Broc Parkes and Roger Lee Hayden

Continue reading: WSBK Brno: Michel Fabrizio Returns to the Top in QP2

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