Pro Ride in Superbike with De Rosa
"I am happy to be a part of this project", declared De Rosa. "With Pro Ride I have found a family environment so now I can race in the best possible conditions. This year I'm changing category, it'll be completely new for me, but I'm not worried. For sure I don't expect to be setting the pace right away, but I'm convinced I can have a good season, and possibly be one of the best rookies. I am fully confident in the team's potential and I'm happy to race with a Honda, a manufacturer who I've been linked to for a number of years in other categories. There's a month to go before the start of the season and I can't wait to get out on the track at Phillip Island, one of my favourite circuits: I'm really motivated and my aim is to exploit the potential of my Fireblade to the full!"
Thanks to the fundamental support of its technical partners, the Pro Ride Motorsports team has developed a Honda CBR 1000RR with an HRC electronics package. For team manager Marco Nicotari, taking part in the Superbike World Championship represents the achievement of an aim that has been pursued for some time.
"After three years of hard work we have finally managed to crown our dream of racing in Superbike. For us it's a starting-point: we will work hard to try and repay the faith of our partners with good results. We're also delighted to give Raffaele, who is a talented young rider, the right environment to realize his full potential. It won't be easy to immediately arrive at the top, but we are all motivated for the success of the Superbike project. I'd like to thank Paolo Ciabatti of Infront, Giulio Bardi of the SBK Commission and Giorgio Barbier of Pirelli for welcoming us into Superbike, for their respect and mainly for their professionalism, all of which convinced us to chose World Superbike for our 2012 project."
