Roberto Rolfo
Roberto " Roby " Rolfo ( born March 23, 1980 in Turin, Piedmont, Italy ) is an Italian motorcycle racer.
After a few years in the Motorcycle World Championship, he raced in Superbike World Championship since 2006. 2009 was the 1.76 m wide Italians for the team Stiggy Racing Honda Honda at the start, but was replaced after the second race weekend of the season by the American John Hopkins.
In 2010 he enters S.T.R. for the team Italtrans Suter in the Moto2 class of the Motorcycle World Championship.
Roberto Rolfos preferred starting number is 44, he is regarded as an intelligent, passionate and instiktgesteuerter pilot with a very gentle driving style. Due to its uncomplicated nature Rolfo has many fans and is in Italy a crowd favorite.
- 2.1 In the World Motorcycle Championship
- 2.2 In the Superbike World Championship
Career
Early years
Roberto Rolfo began the enthusiasm for motor sport from his father, Angelo Rolfo, inherited, who was Italian motorcycle champion in 1980. From a young age he showed great talent and launched in the Italian championship. In 1996 he took the Team Italia, a team that has traditionally promoted the Italian talent on the European part and finished it on the fourth. In the Italian championship, he was also able to finish fourth this year. In the same year he made his debut at the Grand Prix of Italy in the 250 cc class of the Motorcycle World Championship.
250 cc class
As of the 1998 season Rolfo started then as a regular rider in the 250cc World Championship. In his first season he reached on a TSR Honda with 62 points the twelfth World Cup ranking. The 1999 season, he played in the team Vasco Rossi Racing, which belonged to the Italian singer Vasco Rossi Aprilia. At the end of the season, he finished 14th overall. In 2000 it came to a fight with his team, Rolfo was blamed for the unexpectedly poor results. That's why he left the team during the season and started the last race of the season on a Honda in another team. In the 2001 season, Roberto Rolfo competed for the Safilo Oxydo Race Team Aprilia. At the Italian Grand Prix with second place he achieved his first podium finish. Overall, he reached this year four podium finishes, could not score in just two races and ended with 177 points championship in fourth. For the 2002 season, he moved to Fortuna Honda team Fausto Gresini. With a total of seven podiums, but no victory, Rolfo won with 219 points, third place in the World Cup.
In the 2003 season, he surpassed the good results of the previous year even once. At the Grand Prix of Germany at Sachsenring he achieved his first victory of his career, the race in the Australian Phillip Iceland he could repeat this success even. In the overall standings Roberto Rolfo had only Manuel Poggiali of San Marino, with whom he fought to the last race of the season at the world title, to defer them. With 236 points Rolfo was runner-up, which is to date the biggest success of his career. Also the 2004 season, he remained faithful to the Fortuna Honda team and made up his mind to win the world championship this year. In the second race of the season in Spain Rolfo celebrated his third victory. After that, however, his achievements diminished more and more, with 116 points, it was only WM- eighth. However, during the year, the Italians had problems with the bike, because this really was too small for its body size.
MotoGP class
For the 2005 season, Roberto Rolfo moved into the MotoGP class for D' Antin MotoGP team from Luis d' Antin, where he piloted a previous machine from Ducati. Due to the inferior Dunlop tires, which the team used, he often managed to not even finish in the points. Still convinced Rolfo, because he have no experience in big four-stroke machines, with the hard-to -controlling Ducati only two races could not finish. His best result, a tenth place, he drove in the rain race at Donington Park a. Overall, he won 25 points this season and was 18th overall.
Superbike World Championship
For season 2006 Roberto Rolfo found no place in the MotoGP class and therefore moved to the Superbike World Championship for the team Caracchi, where he piloted a Ducati customer machine. After a strong start to the season with a fifth and two seventh places in the first four races, his achievements, however, subsided. At the end of the season, he finished with 69 points only ranked 16 overall. The 2007 season played Rolfo in the Dutch Ten Kate team and piloted a factory- supported Honda CBR 1000RR. With regular placements in the top ten and two fourth places as best results he reached the seventh world ranking, lagging far behind the achievements of his team-mate James Toseland, who was world champion.
2008 Roberto Rolfo started in Hannspree Honda Althea team turn to Honda. He came across the course of the season does not go beyond midfield positions. The races in Monza had Rolfo because of a wrist fracture, which he had contracted in mountain biking, omit. His best result of the season was eighth in the first round at Vallelunga. With 59 meters of Turin came in 17th place overall.
In fall 2008 Roberto Rolfo signed in 2009 a contract in the team of the Swedish ex- Grand Prix driver Johan Stigefelt that rose from the Supersport World Championship in the World Superbike Championship. The Italians had previously been associated with a commitment to re-entering the Aprilia. Throughout the pre-season the Italians made to create a shoulder injury that he, against the advice of the doctors, not allowed to operate, as this would have led to a months-long break from racing after themselves. Rolfo started with ranks 13 and 16 at the races in Australia in the season, at the next race weekend at Losail ( Qatar), he fell twice, lagging far behind the performance of his British team-mate Leon Haslam. On 20 March 2009, the Stiggy team undertook the American John Hopkins, who was vertragslos after the withdrawal of Kawasaki's MotoGP class. Roberto Rolfos contract was terminated thereupon and Hopkins took his place in the team.
Statistics
In the World Motorcycle Championship
(As of end of season 2012)