Sylvain Guintoli has won the 2014 World SBK Championship. With this victory on board, Aprilia becomes the Manufacturer World Champion for the third consecutive year. The Aprilia RSV4, the Italian bike that has rooted the best competition in the world since its rookie year in World SBK (2009), wins seven World titles (three for rider and four for manufacturer). This world championship combination (Rider and Manufacturer) is the third one for the Aprilia RSV4 after sweeping the competition in 2010 and 2012 with Max Biaggi.
Speaking about the victory, Roberto Colaninno, Chairman and CEO of the Piaggio Group (which Aprilia has been part of since 2005) said, “I am very proud because with Aprilia once again this year a great Italian brand has dominated on a global level in motorsports. This was a difficult championship right down to the end, that seemed to have been lost but was then reopened and that makes the result we achieved today even more exceptional, with two world titles won. My compliments to Guintoli – simply extraordinary. Romano Albesiano did a very good job. Along with his team he demonstrated his ability not only to design great motorcycles, but also to successfully take on the challenge of sport management.”
Colaninno further added, “Since returning to Superbike in 2009 Aprilia has won seven world championship titles in six years. Today’s two world championship titles reward the Piaggio Group’s technological innovation skills, which once again dominated despite the fact that our rivals become fiercer every year. It’s not by chance that – in just ten years – we have seen Aprilia win 28 of its 54 world titles and the Piaggio Group has taken a total of 32 world titles in just a decade. Now we are facing a new challenge entering MotoGP which is taking place a year ahead of schedule with respect to our previously announced plans. We will be entering the premier world championship with the same spirit we have always had: dedication, a desire to learn and grow and the awareness of our abilities and our heritage as a great Italian brand.”
Guintoli’s incredible comeback for the world championship title began with victory in Race 1. Off to a good start (fourth in the first lap), Guintoli overtook Sykes, his direct competitor for the title, who had been in front of him in the fifth lap and then Rea (in the ninth lap) and race leader Baz with 5 laps left to go. From that point on it was a gallop to victory which earned another 9 points made up on Sykes. At the start of Race 2 Aprilia’s Frenchman was three points behind Sykes in the standings, a minimum gap which his authoritative and aggressive win annihilated. Sylvain took the lead in the fifth lap and from that point on it was a gallop toward the finish line and the win. In the end Guintoli took the world championship with 416 points against the 410 Sykes had racked up.
With the titles won today the manufacturer from Noale now totals seven World Superbike championships in the last five years and takes its extraordinary collection to 54 world championship titles won in just over twenty years. For the Manufacturer World Championship Aprilia racked up 11 wins (5 for Guintoli, 6 for Melandri) and another 16 podiums for a total of 468 points against Kawasaki’s 431, Honda’s 350, Ducati’s 291, Suzuki’s 234, BMW’s 81 and MV Agusta’s 34.
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