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With Augusto Fernandez set for his MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship debut at the upcoming Pirelli Portuguese Round, it’s time to have a look at some of the best debuts in WorldSBK by former MotoGP™ riders. From wins and podiums to impressive top-fours and fives, there have been many riders who have made the switch and been an instant success in WorldSBK and the 2022 Moto2™ World Champion will be aiming to add his name to the list as he steps in for the still-recovering Jonathan Rea (Pata Maxus Yamaha).

LUCCHINHELLI TAKES P2 AT DONINGTON: first race heroics

Marco Lucchinelli has the honour of standing on the first-ever WorldSBK rostrum. The 1981 500cc World Champion joined WorldSBK in its first season back in 1988 and put his Ducati third on the grid. In Race 1, the Italian followed compatriot Davide Tardozzi around the Donington Park circuit with the pair separated by just over a second at the end of the 30-lap race. Lucchinelli would claim victory in Race 2 later that day.

BROCCOLI’S P4 IN AUSTRIA: his best WorldSBK result

Massimo Broccoli made the switch after several seasons in the 500cc World Championship and made his debut in 1989 in Austria at the Osterreichring. Riding on Ducati machinery in the Styrian mountains, the Italian was eighth on the grid before securing fourth place finishes in Race 1 and Race 2, finishing less than a second away from victory in the former. Unfortunately for the Italian, they would be his best results in WorldSBK with only one further top-ten finish; this was on home soil in 1991 at Mugello.

KOCINSKI’S DREAM START: a Misano double on debut

American rider John Kocinski made his first WorldSBK appearance in 1996 after racing in the 500cc World Championship two years prior and spending a year out of motorsport. He wasted no time in getting up to speed, though, as he made his World Superbike debut on Ducati machinery at the iconic Misano circuit. He took pole ahead of Troy Corser and converted that into not one, but two wins, in his first round. He took five victories in total in 1996 as he finished third in the standings, before claiming the 1997 title.

LACONI CAUSES A STIR: P4 in his first race

While it wasn’t quite the same as Kocinski’s debut, Regis Laconi had a stellar first showing in WorldSBK when he made his debut in Valencia back in 2001. He joined the Championship after a podium-less 2000 campaign in the 500cc World Championship, and nearly scored a rostrum in his first race. He had to settle for fourth, just a few seconds behind third-place Ben Bostrom while Aprilia teammate Troy Corser won the race.

HAYDEN’S FULL-TIME DEBUT: a P4 finish in Race 2 in Australia

While the late, great Nicky Hayden made his WorldSBK debut in 2002, where he secured P4 at Laguna Seca, the ‘Kentucky Kid’ made the full-time move to the production-based Championship in 2016. The 2006 MotoGP™ World Champion’s most famous result in WorldSBK was a win at Sepang in the wet, but his first weekend in 2016 at Phillip Island was impressive for the #69. Ninth in Race 1 was backed up with fourth in Race 2.

BIAGGI MAKES HIS MARK: debut win at Lusail in 2007

Max Biaggi came into WorldSBK as a four-time 250cc World Champion, won consecutively between 1994 and 1997, and a 13-time race winner in MotoGP™/500c World Championship. He made the switch to WorldSBK for 2007 and made his debut at Lusail, where he put his Suzuki machine second on the grid; behind only Troy Corser’s Yamaha. Despite dropping down to fourth in the early stages, the Italian battled back to claim P1 in Race 1, before following that up with second in Race 2. Biaggi finished third in the standings in his rookie season, but would claim two WorldSBK titles in 2010 and 2012.

BAUTISTA MAKES HISTORY: a triple Down Under on debut

Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati), like many riders switching paddocks, arrived with a lot of fanfare in 2019 as he joined the factory Ducati effort in WorldSBK. His first race was at the iconic Phillip Island and he put his Ducati Panigale V4 R on the front row with third, behind Kawasaki’s Jonathan Rea and Leon Haslam. But the race was a different story for the #19. At a track where tyre management was key, he bolted away from the chasing pack to win by 15 seconds in Race 1, before backing that up by winning the first Tissot Superpole Race on Sunday, and then Race 2 later on. He’d go on to win the first 11 races of the season but fell short of the title that year.

IANNONE'S AUSTRALIA ROSTRUM: a podium on debut

Andrea Iannone (Team Pata GoEleven) had spent four seasons away from racing heading into his rookie 2024 campaign, arguably making his WorldSBK debut even more remarkable; it was like he hadn’t been away. He claimed P2 in the Tissot Superpole session and lined up alongside fellow rookie Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati), but it was ‘The Maniac’ who got the holeshot. He led for a few laps but was eventually caught and passed by his rivals, although the #29 would go on to claim third place, only 2.280s down on race winner Bulega. He secured five podiums in his rookie season, including a win at Aragon towards the end of the season.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS: Doohan’s impressive record, Redding’s podium after BSB and more

Several riders have made the switch to WorldSBK and impressed fairly quickly; Alex Barros claimed sixth place in Qatar in 2006 in his first race, while Carlos Checa took the same position at the same circuit two years later. Marco Melandri went one better in 2011 with fifth place in Race 1 at Phillip Island before taking third in Race 2 and winning Race 1 at Donington Park in his third race. Mick Doohan, back in 1988, contested four WorldSBK races and won three of them, though he wasn’t classified in his first race. Scott Redding (MGM BONOVO Racing) made the WorldSBK switch in 2020, although he came from a year British Superbike rather than directly from MotoGP™, scoring a third place on his debut with the factory Ducati squad.

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