The final round of the Italian Speed Championship took place at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola.
In the premier class, SBK, Kevin Manfredi from La Spezia took the Suzuki GSX-R 1000 to the finish line for the last time, which will no longer be fielded on the grid by Team Penta Motorsport in 2025.
The final kilometres covered by the GSX-R, ridden by number 34, were not a walk in the park: electronic problems affected Kevin's race, who nevertheless finished with a double top 10. In fact, Manfredi was forced to run both races without the help of traction control and the anti-wheelie system, a considerable challenge considering the almost 210 HP to manage, especially on the demanding climbs and descents of the Imola circuit.
Despite the difficulties, it was essential for Kevin to pay homage to the Japanese manufacturer and its team, bringing the bike to the finish line in 10th position in race 1 and 9th in race 2.
Kevin: "It wasn't easy to ride in these conditions, I was very limited, but in the first laps I still tried to keep up with the pace of the leading group for as long as possible, until the degradation of the tires began to make itself felt, making me lose ground. These two races made me relive many memories linked to this brand, to my name and my number, such as the podiums and victories of 2016 in Supersport and the last podium of 2023 at Misano in SBK. To date, Suzuki's history in the CIV SBK ends with that podium of mine, and I believe that this result will remain in the history of this bike and the team for a long time. It is an honor for me to have been the last to reach that finish line in the last four years of Suzuki in Italian Superbike. After the various seasonal retirements due to problems technicians, it was essential for me to finish both races under the checkered flag, and we did it, with two top 10s. I am always satisfied with what I gave on the track together with my team, we never gave up."
Kevin thus concludes his third year of CIV SBK with Team Penta, demonstrating great character and competitiveness, despite a bike that, compared to its competitors, is almost seven years older.
These three years have brought him great experience and the determination to improve further in the future, with new goals.
Kevin thanks all the sponsors and technical partners for their support during the 2024 season.
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