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FORMER WORLD SUPERBIKE RIDER ALESSANDRO POLITA TO MAKE TT RACES DEBUT IN 2016
Author TTwebsite
Thursday, Feb 4, 2016 4:31 pm
The Italian will ride a 1000cc BMW S1000R for former TT competitor Roberto Antonellini in the RST Superbike, RL360 Superstock and PokerStars Senior TT Races and will aim to follow in the footsteps of countrymen Alessio Corradi and Stefano Bonetti who have both impressed in recent years.
The 31-year old came to prominence in 2005 when he finished fourth in the European Superstock 1000cc Championship and a year later he went on to win the title. Riding for Team Celani Suzuki, Polita took three wins and eight podiums that season to take the championship from Claudio Corti and Luca Scassa.
That paved the way to a move into the premier World Superbike Championship in 2007 where he impressively scored points on five occasions despite being on board the relatively uncompetitive GSXR 1000 K6 Suzuki. Subsequently, he moved back into the European Superstock 1000cc Championship for 2008 where he again proved his talent with third overall, just missing out on a second title by ten points.
Riding this time for the Sterilgarda Go Eleven Ducati squad, the Jesi resident won at Misano and stood on the podium at Monza, Brno and Donington Park to finish behind Brendan Roberts and Maxime Berger in the final Championship table.
2009 should have seen him continue with Team Sterilgarda and return to the World Superbike Championship as team-mate to Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne but the global economic crisis intervened and the team were forced to cut back to running just the British rider. As a result, Polita switched to the World Supersport Championship for a number of races before rejoining Team Celani.
For 2010, he moved into the Italian Superbike Championship riding a Ducati 1098R for Barni Racing and it proved to be a successful season as he won the title with a round to spare, ending the year a comfortable 41 points clear of team-mate Stefano Cruciani. The partnership continued into 2011 where Polita again contested the Italian Superbike Championship as well as picking up points as a wild card at the Imola and Misano World Superbike Championship rounds.
Polita again scored points in the World Superbike Championship in 2012 when he rode for the Red Devils Roma Ducati team and since then he has been highly successful in the Italian championship riding for the Guandalini Racing and BMW teams.
His presence on the grid in June adds both International and world class flavour to what is already shaping up to be yet another stunning entry and although 2016 will very much be a learning year, Polita’s World Championship credentials should ensure his performances are credible.
Commenting ahead of his TT Races debut, Polita said:
"Returning from a weekend to the Island of Man, I’ve had the chance to reflect on my first steps that will lead me to one of the most important international motorcycling events for my career.
Taking in the Island, studying the course supervised by the hugely knowledgeable Richard 'Milky' Quayle, I understand the great honor that I have in being part of this great road racers family.”
He continued:
“We studied every centimetre of the Island, and I am committed to fully live this adventure, as I always I said, without any ambitions or targets, but with only the need to find and experience again those feelings and emotions that only those who live in the motorcycling world can feel racing a motorcycle.”
 
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