MotoGP test rider Michele Pirro is torpedoed by Ducati brand mate Lorenzo Zanetti at the Italian Superbike Championship finale at Imola
The season finale of the Italian Superbike Championship (CIV) took place at Imola last weekend. Also present was Ducati’s MotoGP test and replacement rider Michele Pirro, who wanted to defend his title in the national Superbike championship.
But a controversial collision with Ducati brand colleague Lorenzo Zanetti prevented him from defending his title and caused plenty of talk in Italy and beyond.
Pirro came to the CIV final in Imola as the leader after his MotoGP race in Motegi. He had 190 points on his account, while challenger Zanetti travelled to the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari with 181 points.
On Friday, Pirro set the pace with his Barni Ducati. On Saturday, ex-WSBK regular Alessandro Delbianco (Yamaha) snatched pole by a narrow margin.
The eagerly awaited showdown in the second race ends messily
A crash in the first race saw Pirro lose the overall lead to Zanetti, who went into the final race with a 9-point advantage. Pirro was on course for victory in the second race when he crashed in the final chicane.
Zanetti rolled into the left-hander with plenty of excess and torpedoed his Ducati brand mate. Zanetti could have gone straight into the run-off zone to avoid contact. But instead he drove into Pirro’s bike and both riders ended up in the gravel.
Finished with a broken foot: Michele Pirro’s fighting performance
For Zanetti the race was over. Pirro crossed the finish line with a broken foot and scratched visor and was classified eleventh. But that wasn’t enough to defend the title.
Pirro had to be hospitalised after the race and spoke out via Instagram about the incident with Zanetti. “He said it was a normal racing accident,” Pirro marvels, commenting on the statement with a laughing smiley face and adding: “I guess I forgot that there was bowling on the Imola circuit.”
“How sad for the sport,” regrets Pirro. “Such manoeuvres are okay if they are due to a technical or health problem, but not when a licensed rider risks hurting other riders.”
“It’s not about the championship for me. My health is important to me. Besides, I don’t want the motto ‘gravel or win’ to be an example for young people. I’m really upset because I got injured. And that could have been prevented,” Pirro writes.
Especially piquant: Lorenzo Zanetti is no stranger to the Ducati cosmos. The Italian was heavily involved in the development of the V4 superbike and rode the WSBK prototype that was tested in 2018.
In the end, Zanetti took the CIV title with a four-point lead over Pirro. However, with seven wins from twelve races, Pirro was clearly the faster rider.
For Ducati, Pirro’s injury is not good news. MotoGP regulars Marco Bezzecchi, Luca Marini and Alex Marquez are struggling with injuries. Their participation in the Grand Prix in Mandalika is questionable. Factory rider Enea Bastianini is about to make his comeback.
