Roberto Rolfo

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Roberto 'Roby' Rolfo is a motorcycle road racer from Italy. After several years in the 250cc World Championship (finishing as runner up in 2003), and a year in MotoGP, he spends 2006 with the Caracchi Ducati team in World Superbike

[edit] 250cc

His first full World Championship season was 1998, after a few wild card rides in the previous 2 years. In his first season his best result was 5th in Argentina, and in 1999 it was again a 5th, at Catalunya. In 2000 he finished no higher than 6th.

2001 proved to be a breakthrough year. Riding for the Safilo Aprilia team, he finished 4th in the championship, ahead of the factory Aprilias Riccardo Chiarello and Jeremy McWilliams. After scoring points in the first 4 races, he scored 3 podiums in the next 4 (second at Mugello and Donington Park and 3rd at Catalunya. He only failed to score points twice all season.

In 2002 he raced for Fortuna Honda. He scored five 2nd places, three of them behind countryman and champion Marco Melandri. He only failed to score points once. This was good for 3rd overall.

He went one better in 2003, both in terms of race results and championship finish. He was victorious at Sachsenring and Phillip Island en route to finishing 2nd overall. He went into the final race knowing that victory would give him the title unless Manuel Poggiali finished 2nd, but he was down in 7th. He did beat the series' winningest rider that year, Toni Elías, into second overall however.

2004 was not a success by these standards. Rolfo won in Spain, but was not on the podium again, finishing only 8th overall.

[edit] MotoGP

After making no advance in 2004, Rolfo moved up to MotoGP for 2005, with the D'Antin Ducati team. Running year-old machinery, on Dunlop tyres which were perceived to be inferior and which the bike was not designed around, and with no team-mate, decent results were always going to be hard to come by. He scored points in 9 races, with a best of 10th, to finish 18th overall in the championship.

[edit] World Superbike

With no ride available for 2006, Roberto switched again, to World Superbike. As in 2005 he was riding the second-string Ducati, this team for the Caracchi team. He started strongly, with a 5th and 2 7ths in the first four races, but only managed two top 10 finishes (both at Monza) in the following 5 rounds.