WTI Magazine #47    2014 November, 12
Author : Simone Callisto Manca      Translation by:

In this issue of our magazine we will focus on two so-called "minor" sports, which lately are being very appreciated by Italian fans: Superbike and Karate. In this time of the year, approaching winter, many sports go "dormant" or are still far from spring or summer, aka the end of seasons or the moment when the global events usually take place.

Let's start from the Superbike: lesser known than Moto GP, Moto 2 or Moto 3, it actually has a very high value, not only from a sport point a view, but also commercially. The bikes that run this special discipline, which exists since 1988, are not prototypes, like the "cousins" that race in the more famous championship previously mentioned, but real replicas (of course modified to run on circuit) of the bikes that are commercially sold. Therefore, it is a championship which is especially loved by motorcycle enthusiasts, because they can actually buy and drive the bike that wins or the one they prefer among the many in the race.

Italy has a long tradition in Superbike: not only thanks to our pilots (the Italian Max Biaggi won this World Cup in 2010 and 2012), but mainly because of our racing teams. Out of 28 yearly Superbike editions, only 7 of them were won by Japanese teams like Honda, Suzuki and Yamaha: the other 21 have been won by Ducati (who triumphed 17 times) and Aprilia (4, of which the last three consecutively in the last 3 years). The Ducati team stands out even among pilots, who have won 14 championships riding on a Ducati, while Aprilia has led to 3 individual successes. Max Biaggi is also, together with the American John Kocinski, the only driver to have won laurels in both MotoGP (4 successes in the then 250, before the arrival of Valentino Rossi, of which he was the first rival) and Superbike. The strongest name of the Italian expedition this year was Marco Melandri, former MotoGP rider, who in 2014 arrived third place riding an Aprilia.

Now let's talk about Karate, which is celebrating in these days its World Championships in Bremen, Germany. The event, which takes place every two years, is seeing the Italians doing very well. Our medals are three, of three different ranks. The golden one has gone to Treviso born Sara Cardin, who defeated the French Thouy 3-2 in the final of the 55 kg category. Our expedition has also won a silver medal in the 75 kg category with Luigi Busà and a bronze in the 61 kg category with Laura Easter.

Karate is unfortunately not yet part of the Olympics, during which Italian teams are traditionally very strong in wrestling disciplines: in 2013 the IOC has officially announced that Karate will not be an Olympic sport for now, not even in Tokyo 2020. Too bad, those would probably have been secure medals for Italy.