News

Respecting tradition, and doing as it has in the past with other Superstock riders, Althea BMW Racing has decided to give newly-crowned Superstock 1000 Cup winner Raffaele De Rosa the chance to line up against the World Superbike field, an additional ‘prize’ for the talented Neapolitan rider, after he scored the title last weekend at Jerez.

Raffaele will be the third Althea BMW representative in Qatar, alongside official riders Jordi Torres and Markus Reiterberger. The Italian is enthusiastic and hopes to be able to do well in the race as he competes against his team-mates and the rest of the field. This is Raffaele’s second appearance in WorldSBK this season, having stood in for Reiterberger at Laguna Seca in the USA.

Raffaele De Rosa:
“(Team Director) Genesio Bevilacqua is giving me this chance in Qatar and I can say that, having won the title, this is a really great prize. I have some idea of what to expect, seeing as I already rode the Superbike this year at Laguna. But in this case I know the track and, knowing that I have already won the championship, am feeling more relaxed. It’s a track I like and I can’t wait to get back to work. I’m really pleased to be able to take part in the final round at Losail.”

Genesio Bevilacqua (Team Director):
“I’m very pleased to announce De Rosa’s participation in the Qatar WorldSBK Round as the third Althea BMW rider. This is down to the excellent result that Raffaele scored last week, winning the STK1000 title. It seems only right to have him the chance to express his potential in an event that we are happy to offer him, as I believe he deserves it. Next year’s programme is still to be defined, but it’s clear that he is one of the riders in team Althea’s orbit; having said that, we still need to see where he can fit in to our plans. In the Althea tradition, when we see riders who deserve to move up a category, we need to help them to show the public that they are here, and that they are supported by the team and sponsors.”