Mid-season report: Superstock 1000
Davide Giugliano, Althea Racing's top rider on a Ducati 1098R, is leading the table with 95 from the 100 points available, following three wins and a steamrolling performance at Assen, Misano and Aragon. The rider from Rome, who has been a fixed presence in the category since 2008, has put 26 points between himself and Danilo Petrucci, representative of the Italia FMI and the State Police team, who took pole at Misano and Alcaniz with a Barno Racing Team-prepared Ducati.
The talented 20-year-old will be going for race-winning gold at Brno, an objective already achieved at Monza by Lorenzo Zanetti (BMW Motorrad Italia), currently lying third overall 27 points behind the leader. With Italian riders making up 8 of the top 10 positions, the only two foreign interlopers at the moment are Frenchman Sylvain Barrier (fourth for BMW Motorrad Italia) and reigning Australian SBK champion Bryan Staring (tenth for Kawasaki Team Pedercini).
2007 winner Niccolò Canepa, now back on a Ducati since the Motorland Aragon race thanks to an accord with SS Lazio MotorSport, has now moved up the table to fifth place and could be a possible outsider in the second half of the season. Similar results will also be the aim of the two Honda Lorini men, Eddi La Marra and Andrea Antonelli, as well as Fabio Massei (BMW Piellemoto), Lorenzo Baroni (Ducati Althea), Marco Bussolotti (Kawasaki Pedercini) and rookie Lorenzo Savadori (Kawasaki Lorenzini by Leoni.
The international flavour of Superstock 1000 also includes youngsters to keep an eye on such as France's Jeremy Guarnoni (reigning European Superstock 600 champion) of the MRS Yamaha Racing France) and the 17-year-old German Markus Reiterberger (BMW Garnier Alpha Racing Team), as well as the latest signing by the GoEleven Kawasaki team, Danny Buchan, the revelation of the British Superstock championship on a Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R.
