He could have been the best Italian rider of the 90s and even beyond, but he is among the many who have been swallowed up by Valentino Rossi. It could have represented the new golden age of Ducati, but it gave way to the lightning bloom of Casey Stoner. Despite all this, he still did gigantic things: it is not for everyone, in fact, to win 3 World titles. We are talking about Loris Capirossi, one of the most popular riders of the last 30 years and more.
Biography and beginnings on a motorcycle
Born on April 4, 1973 in Castel San Pietro (BO), Loris Capirossi became passionate about motorcycles at a very young age. He got on his first off-road bikes when he was just five years old, immediately showing talent and learning to dose the gas. The track began to really interest him, as he noticed from the beginning that he knew how to do it with two wheels: he took part in his first speed race at the age of 14, driving a modified Honda NS125 road car.
He will finish sixth in the Italian Sport Production Championship. A year later he took ninth place in the Italian 125 Championship riding a Mancini, and in 1989 he proved to be a promising talent with Honda in the 125 European Championship. He finished fourth overall, winning four races and making his debut on the world stage. He was not yet of age but, in agreement with his family, he decided to take the plunge into the world championship. A choice that could not have been more apt.
The boom in 125
He made his debut in the world championship in 1990 in the 125 class, riding a Honda RS125R of the Pileri team. Like all rookies, he should have some problems dealing with his new reality, but this unwritten law does not apply to the Bolognese driver. With an exciting end to the season, with 3 first places in the last 5 grands prix, he managed to win the world title by beating the Dutchman Hans Spaan in the sprint. A triumph that remains in history: at 17 years and 165 days, Capirossi becomes the youngest rider to have won the world title in the history of the world championship. If winning is difficult, confirming oneself is even more so. Another unwritten law that Capirossi denies in a big way.
Confirmed in the 125 class with the same bike and the same team, the Bolognese rider not only won the World Championship again but improved on what he did the previous year. In fact, there are 5 first places and his presence on the podium is almost constant. A screaming start to his career, therefore: now it's time for the jump in category.
The triumph in the 250 class
In 1992 he moved to the 250, again riding a Honda. Unlike what happened in the previous class, Capirossi needs a few seasons to get going. In his debut year in 250 he finished just twelfth and had his best result in fifth place in South Africa. The following two years went much better, but not enough to win the third world title of his career.
In 1993 he finished second after a head-to-head with Tetsuya Harada, while in 1994 he finished third behind his compatriot Max Biaggi and the Japanese Tadayuki Okada. The following three-year period is interlocutory. In 1995 Capirossi opted for the jump to 500, remaining in this category for two seasons. A choice that turned out not to be very right, because it does not shine as shown previously. He then returned to 250, where he closed the 1997 season in sixth place. Career already in decline? Absolutely not.
1998 was one of the best years in Capirossi's two-wheeled journey. Riding an Aprilia, with which he had been racing since the year before, the rider born in Castel San Pietro returned to fight for the top together with rising star Valentino Rossi and old rival Harada. Despite a dream championship finale of the number 46 with 4 consecutive first places, Capirossi still managed to win the first 250 World Championship of his career and third in total also considering the two 125 championships. The following year he gave way to an overflowing Rossi, finishing in third place and being really ready for the 500.
The experience in Ducati and the end of his career
In 2000, on a Honda as in 1999 in 250, he participated in the third 500 World Championship of his career. In the last two championships before moving to MotoGP, his best was undoubtedly that of 2001 which finished on the lowest step of the podium behind Rossi and Biaggi. With the Japanese team he is for another year, and then concretizes the all-Italian marriage with Ducati. Those that follow don are easy years for the Italian motor manufacturer, as well as for all those that do not have the absolute dominator with the number 46 in their employ. Capirossi, however, did not give up and, in the 2006 World Championship, he came close to a title that would have closed the circle of his career. Start with a bang for the Bolognese champion: first place in Spain and third in Qatar. The challenge is with a Rossi in difficulty for the first time in years and with the American Nicky Hayden. It will be the latter who prevails, with Capirossi finishing third.
In 2007 he witnessed the world success of his teammate Casey Stoner, ending his experience with the Ducati at the end of the year. There will be a return in 2011 without too much luck, after three years in Suzuki in which he confirms that he is in the twilight phase of his career. Thus ends the experience on two wheels of a champion who has lived twenty years of victories and defeats, great moments and falls. All this, always with a smile on his lips and the serenity of those who gave everything.
