After the enthralling final round at Le Mans, veteran racer Max Biaggi proved that despite competing in his 23rd season of racing he’s just as fast as the ‘young guns’ by securing his second World Superbike crown by just half a point – the closest finish in the championship’s 25 year history.
With nine different winners from every manufacturer, the championship continues to prove why it is regarded as one of the most competitive in the world, and its appeal continues to grow worldwide with new circuits such as the Moscow Raceway in Russia being included in this year’s calendar while a return to Laguna Seca in California and the inclusion of the Buddh circuit in India will make up part of the 2013 calendar.
Like MotoGP, Öhlins are the suspension equipment of choice for the majority of the grid and with all but one of the top ten riders using the gold forks, their domination in the main ‘production’ championship is evident.
There was further success for the ‘gold’ riders in the support classes as Kenan Sofuoglu wrapped up his World Supersport championship onboard his Kawasaki ZX-10R while Sylvain Barrier secured the European Superstock 1000 championship on his BMW S1000RR.