The whole team approaches the 2012 season in high spirits, riding high
on the successes of 2011, an unforgettable year for all concerned.
Althea Racing and Carlos Checa had a hugely successful year in World
Superbike, celebrating their first World Superbike rider's title at the
Magny-Cours round and consolidating this by also winning the Superstock
1000 FIM Cup rider's title with Davide Giugliano at the very same round!
Checa, 39 years old, led last season's World Superbike championship
right from Round 1, by scoring a double win at the opening round at
Phillip Island, Australia. On board the Ducati 1198, Althea Racing's
flagbearer went on to win an extremely impressive 15 of the season's 26
races and clocked up a total of 21 podium finishes. Silverstone brought
Carlos' 100th race start in SBK, and at the very same round, the Spanish
rider regaled Ducati with its 300th SBK race win! Checa has achieved 40
podiums in 108 races run thus far.
With a 74 point lead going into eleventh round Imola, Carlos had his first chance to take the championship title but, despite a stunning win and a third place finish, he left the Autodromo di Imola three points short of what was needed to secure the win. The championship was therefore decided at the subsequent Magny-Cours event, when Carlos finished the job in style, pocketing the full 50 points on offer with a perfect double race victory.
Team Althea Racing's impressive results throughout the entire season
awarded Ducati with its 14th rider's title and 17th manufacturer's
title.
Althea's success was not limited to the Superbike championship as Davide
Giugliano, riding for the team in the Superstock 1000 FIM Cup, also
took the rider's title at the Magny-Cours event, meaning double
celebrations for the Civita' Castellana-based squad.
Giugliano, 22 years-old, scored four race wins and three second place
finishes on his way to the title, winning the Superstock 1000
championship with 171 points. Team-mate Lorenzo Baroni closed the 2011
championship in seventh position, his best race results of the season
were three fourth place finishes.
If that was not enough, Ducati also won the manufacturer's title in the
Superstock 1000 category, closing with 240 points to BMW's 193.
Althea Racing has its head office at the parent company Althea SpA in
Civita Castellana. Its racing department includes a 2.000 square metres
covered area, that houses not only the development and motor assembly
area but also logistics, design/planning and a communications department
directed by Maya Cohen.
The principal attraction of the whole complex is Genesio Bevilacqua's collection, "Bikes of Legends" (www.genesiobevilacqua.it).
Bevilacqua is the founder of the Althea firm and group. On show inside
the museum are the best examples of race bikes from the last 40 years;
in fact it has become a destination for many enthusiasts who make an
"international pilgrimage" to see it.
The logistics and the organization at headquarters is assigned to Moreno
Coppola, who already has a great deal of experience in the technical
and organizational field, having worked with the Althea Racing team for
many years.
