After three years of riding for the factory Ducati Xerox team, Italian Michel Fabrizio will make the switch to Alstare Suzuki for 2011.
Italian
Michel Fabrizio will join the Alstare
Suzuki World Superbike team in a one-man effort for the 2011 season, the team officially announced today. The single-year deal see’s the multi-time
World Superbike race winner re-join the squad on which he first gained worldwide notoriety, as Fabrizio won the 2003 European Superstock 1000 championship for the Belgian team.
Until this announcement was released earlier today, it was widely believed that the team may exit the championship altogether. Due to a lack of factory support from Japanese manufacturer Suzuki, they were forced to have to let
Leon Haslam out of his contract so he could
join the factory BMW team. This was a major blow for the Alstare boys, who this season challenged for the championship with the British rider onboard, finishing second in the end, and were eagerly looking forward to doing the same in 2011 as they had a two-year contract with Haslam. But because in the contract full factory support was guaranteed and this will not be coming next year, they were forced to let the talented son of former GP rider “Rocket” Ron Haslam pursue other options.
In an effort to find a suitable replacement, Fabrizio tested for the team the Monday and Tuesday following the final round of the series in Magny-Cours, France, this past week. Poor weather put a damper on things the first day with heavy rain, but the second day was dry and the end result was a positive test for the Italian fan favorite. Despite having ridden a V-Twin for the past three seasons, the 26-year-old WSB series regular was able to come to grips with the inline-four quick enough to post some very respectable times, enough to land him the ride for next year.
With even less factory support coming from Suzuki in 2011, things could be tough for Fabrizio and the Alstare team, as the World Superbike field is deeply filled with talented riders and teams.
“I am very happy with how the tests went at Magny-Cours last week, even though the weather was not so good on the first day,” said Fabrizio in a team press release. “I am a bit surprised how easily I got used to the Suzuki Alstare bike after three years of riding a V-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.”
Career Stats:
First raced minimoto, aged 6
2001 1st - Aprilia Challenge
2002 GP 125 World Championship
2003 1st - European Superstock 1000 Championship - Team Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra
2004 22nd, MotoGP (Team WCM)
2005 5th, World Supersport Championship (Megabike Honda)
2006 11th, World Superbike Championship (DFXTreme Honda)
2007 11th, World Superbike Championship (DFX Honda)
2008 8th, World Superbike Championship (Ducati Xerox) - 7 podiums
2009 3rd, World Superbike Championship (Ducati Xerox) - 15 podiums, 3 wins
2010 8th, World Superbike Championship (Ducati Xerox) - 6 podiums, 1 win
