Two-time World Supersport Champion
Andrew Pitt has retired from motorcycle racing. The 35-year-old Australian ends a 10-year career at the world level, with campaigns in World Supersport,
World Superbike and MotoGP.
Pitt’s professional career started in Australia, where he claimed the national Supersport crown and placed runner-up in Superbike. Pitt graduated to the World Superbike series in 2000. He claimed his first world title in 2001, winning the World Supersport Championship aboard a Kawasaki in just his second year in the series.
Pitt placed fifth during his 2002 WSS title defense and then finished the season with a pair of MotoGP races for Kawasaki – including a points-scoring 12th at the Valencia finale. He maintained his association with Kawasaki for 2003, which marked his lone full-time MotoGP campaign. Pitt also attempted short-lived MotoGP campaigns in 2004 and 2007, the first a three-race run with Moriwaki and the second a one-race effort with Ilmor.
A return to World Superbike included a move up to the premier class in 2005 and 2006. Racing with the factory Yamaha team, Pitt placed a respective eighth and fifth. His Yamaha SBK run included six podiums and a single win, a Race 2 victory at Misano in 2006.
Returning to World Supersport the following year, Pitt reclaimed the World Supersport crown in 2008 while riding for Ten Kate Honda. Pitt bested teammate Jonathan Rea to claim his second title with five victories that season. He tallied one more season in Supersport, sixth-place overall, in 2009.
Pitt started 2010 piloting the Team Reitwagen BMW in World Superbike. Lack of funds sunk that SBK campaign after only three rounds, so left without a ride Pitt secured a spot in British Superbike aboard a Yamaha.
It was during BSB, however, that Pitt suffered serious injury during a crash at Brands Hatch. The incident required surgery to fix his collarbone and shoulder, with permanent nerve damage. Pitt later returned to the BSB paddock as crew chief for MSS Colchester Kawasaki’s Gary Mason
