World Superbike News

Pierfrancesco Chili - Brands Hatch 2006

Former World Superbike rider Pierfrancesco Chili, has been appointed team manager for the Guandalini Racing team.

Chili raced in his first grand prix in 1986 on the Gallini HB Honda 500cc where he stayed for several years before stepping down to the 250cc class in which he finished 3rd overall in 1992.

He changed to the Superbike World Championship in 1995 on a private Ducati and remained with them until 1998 when he moved on to a factory Ducati and came fourth overall.  However, he fell on the last lap at Assen while battling with Carl Fogerty, who was riding for a different factory team, which saw Chili sacked from the team at the end of the year.

He raced for Suzuki in 1999, coming sixth and then in 2000 he again came fourth in the championship.  The next two years were a disappointment with only a seventh and eighth overall finish.

In 2003 he seemed to be back on form despite being nearly 40-years-old, with five third places and one win, and things got even better for the following year for the Ducati PSG-1 team.  There were nine podiums and they finished the championship fifth overall.

In 2005, Chili signed for the Klaffi Honda team alongside the rookie Max Neukirchner, and came tenth overall and in 2006 disaster struck as he suffered a broken pelvis which led to him missing several races.

More recently, Chili has been a commentator for Italian TV but will now concentrate on the job in hand as he manages the Guandalini team whom he has been working alongside for nearly a month.