The 2001 World Superbike Championship draws to a close at Imola’s Enzo & Dino Ferrari Circuit with the final round of an enthralling season that has seen Ducati Corse make a clean sweep of both Riders’ and Manufacturers’ titles. Troy Bayliss (Ducati Infostrada) clinched the Riders’ title in Holland, while Ducati won a record tenth Manufacturers’ crown at the previous round in Germany. The race at Imola will be a triumphant homecoming for the Bologna-based constructor, whose factory lies just along the Via Emilia, and what better place to celebrate victory in the WSBK championship than at a circuit dedicated to another Italian motorsport legend, Enzo Ferrari.

This weekend’s final round is also special for another reason because 29 years ago the Imola circuit saw the unfolding one of the most important chapters in Ducati’s history. In 1972 the Italian manufacturer took a sensational 1-2 win in the Imola 200 Miles race with Paul Smart heading home Bruno Spaggiari on special twin-cylinder Ducati 750 Imola Desmo bikes. The race changed the destiny of Ducati, which redefined its approach to racing and focused its attention almost exclusively on competition reserved for production-based machines. The rest, as they say, is history, and Ducati’s record in WSBK since the category’s creation in 1988 is an extraordinary example of the company’s outstanding racing heritage. For this occasion, the number 21 championship-winning Ducati 996R Infostrada of Troy Bayliss has been sprayed in a silver livery evoking Smart’s 1972 bike and the Australian will be wearing special black leathers designed by Dainese for Imola. The 1972 Ducati 750 Imola Desmo will be on display in the paddock and both Smart and Spaggiari will make appearances at Imola.

With 369 points on the board, Troy Bayliss (Ducati Infostrada) cannot be caught by his rivals and the newly-crowned champion goes into the Imola race with all the pressure off and eager to add to his tally of six wins this year. “I still feel really good after winning the world championship three weeks ago”, declared Bayliss. “It’s a great achievement and everyone in the team is still happy but we’re looking forward to this weekend and hopefully we’ll get a good result. The silver bike looks really sparkling although I haven’t seen it in the sun yet! It’ll be a great race with everyone hoping to win, although I expect Colin to be the man to beat here”.

A sensational end-of-season run by Ruben Xaus (Ducati Infostrada) has seen the 23-year-old Spanish rider surge up the points table and confirm the expectations Ducati placed in him when they signed him up for a full WSBK championship season at the end of last year. “I’m just going out there to do the best I can in the final race of the year”, said Xaus. “Obviously now that I’ve won a race, it’s a weight off my shoulder, but it hasn’t changed my mentality. I will be happy once again to finish on the podium and end my season on a high note”.

Ben Bostrom (Ducati L&M) is also determined to leave his mark on the legendary Imola track. The Californian lies just 31 points behind his fellow-American Colin Edwards and with 50 points up for grabs, will be aiming to help bring about a Ducati 1-2. “I can’t wait for Imola”, declared Bostrom, “because I have to make up for the last two rounds, in particular the one at Assen when we never really got going. When you are used to finishing in the top 3, it’s hard not to be disappointed when things don’t go well. Sorry for the other guys out there, but I plan to win and that’s the end of the story.”

THE IMOLA CIRCUIT

The need for speed has formed part of Imola’s DNA since ancient times. Imola was called Forum Cornelii at the time of ancient Rome and there was already an amphitheatre for chariot racing in 80 BC. The current track took shape at the end of the 1940s. To create work for the depressed post-war economy, it was decided to build a series of public roads linking the Via Emilia, where the Rivazza curve can be found today, to the town of Codrigano and the Tosa curve. Four Imola motorsport enthusiasts (Alfredo Campagnoli, Graziano Golinelli, Ugo Montevecchi e Gualtiero Vighi) then decided to build a race-track between the hills. This was followed by the enthusiastic dedication of Checco Costa, who went on to organise a series of major motorcycle racing events at a circuit that has since become one of the greatest race-tracks in the world.