Shell and Ducati superbike world championship
Shell brings you all the essential SBK information – the history, this season's races and the Ducati Panigale R Superbike.
Superbike world championship
First managed by FGSport and also by Infront Sports in recent years, the championship is now in the hands of Dorna. As a result of this, and since the introduction of the Evo series that runs alongside the Superbike championship in 2014, numbers on the grid have been boosted. There are now eight international manufacturers and approximately 25 riders from numerous countries.
With events held at some of the world’s most iconic racetracks, Superbike riders take part in two races in each round, which means that a maximum of 50 championship points are on offer during each race weekend. This year the Superbike calendar includes 14 events scheduled to take place in 11 different countries and spanning four continents.
Jonathan Rea held off the title challenge of fellow Brit and Ducati rider Chaz Davies last season, en route to the championship top spot. Davies’ efforts also contributed to the Italian team finishing second in the Manufacturers’ Championship.
The riders
Chaz Davies
Chaz Davies
Aruba.It World Superbike Team
Chaz Davies was born in Knighton, Wales, on 10 February 1987 and was quickly immersed in the world of engines as his dad owned a local go-kart track. Davies soon moved from four to two wheels where it was immediately clear that he had talent. By the age of nine he had secured the British Minimoto Junior Title.
In 2001 he competed in the British 125 Championship before moving to the international scene in the 125 cc World Championship the following year. He then competed in the 250 cc World Championship for several years without scoring the kind of results he had hoped for.
A move to America for the 2007 season saw Davies compete in the AMA Supersport and Stock Extreme Championship, finishing in sixth and fifth position in the respective Championship, as well as winning in the high-profile Daytona 200 event.
Davies returned to international competition in 2010, a wise move as the very next year proved to be the highlight of his career. Aboard the Yamaha with team ParkinGo, Davies amassed six race wins and a number of podiums throughout the season to become the 2011 World Supersport Champion.
His success was rewarded when he was given the opportunity to progress to World Superbikes in 2012 where he finished ninth in his rookie year with ParkinGo before moving to the BMW outfit in 2013. A very positive season saw the Welshman achieve three race wins and a total of six podiums to finish in overall fifth position.
In 2014 Davies moved to the Aruba.It Ducati Superbike factory team riding the 1199 Panigale R. A consistent season finishing regularly in the top five on raceday netted him sixth in the championship. In 2015 more pace has brought more results – including a race win at Aragón – has put him in genuine title-winning contention.
Davide Giugliano
Davide Giugliano
Aruba.It World Superbike Team
Davide Giugliano was born in Rome on 28 October 1989. He got into the world of motorcycling by chance after an unplanned trip to the mini-bike track as a youngster – just one afternoon and he was hooked.
His career kicked off in 2004 when he competed in the 125 GP Italian championship before becoming Italian champion in the Kawasaki trophy the following season. The next years were spent in Supersport and then Superstock 1000.
The results began to arrive in 2010 when Giugliano concluded the Stock championship in fifth place, paving the way for a move to Team Althea in 2011. Riding the Ducati that he had dreamed of for so long, Giugliano enjoyed a stellar season. Of the nine races that he ran, he triumphed in four and stepped up to the podium in a further three. It was no surprise when Giugliano secured the 2011 Superstock 1000 Title in Magny-Cours, the penultimate round of the championship.
Team Althea repaid this success by promoting Giugliano to the Superbike class the following year where he raced alongside 2011 Superbike Champion Carlos Checa. While 2012 was something of a learning curve for the young Italian, in 2013, riding the Aprilia, Giugliano really began to show his potential. After a season of great battles and a handful of podium finishes, Giugliano finished the season in sixth position.
In 2014 Giugliano returned to Ducati to compete in the World Superbike Championship with the factory team aboard the 1199 Panigale R, finishing eighth in the points standings. He continues with the team in 2015 as a strong presence on the track.
