American Kayla Yaakov, age 17, racing as a wild card on a Barni Racing Team Ducati Panigale V2 on Dunlop control tires in the CIV/Italian Supersport National Championship at Mugello, qualified 35th and finished 25th in each of her two races.

Yaakov normally races a Panigale V2 for Rahal Ducati Moto w/XPEL in the MotoAmerica Supersport class. She is the first female to win a MotoAmerica race (Junior Cup, 2022) and the first female to finish on the podium in a MotoAmerica Supersport race, something she has done three times to date.

More, from a press release issued by Barni Racing Team:

Michele Pirro is Italian Superbike Champion

Michele Pirro wins his tenth Italian title between Superbike, Superstock 1000 and Supersport. It is the seventh with the Barni Spark Racing Team.

Alberto Butti comes back to eighth and concludes his best weekend of the season.

Positive results also for Kayla Yaakov, competing as a wild card in Supersport.

Aquilano chooses not to compete due to physical problems.

The tenth title came in a completely unexpected and dramatic way. At the finish line Michele Pirro did not yet know he was the 2024 Italian Superbike Champion, the news arrived after a few seconds of waiting at the parc fermé when the race direction confirmed that Delbianco, second under the checkered flag, had to give up the position to Pirro for going beyond the track limits on the last lap. The exchange of positions between the two gave the Barni Spark Racing Team rider the mathematical certainty of having won the championship with two races to spare. The final lap was just the last act of a thrilling race, led and won by Bernardi, but whose protagonists were above all Delbianco and Russo, second and third for a long time. Michele was a non-paying “spectator” to their continuous duel, when he tried to slip in Russo responded with aggressive overtaking so the #51 managed the race in view of the championship and in the end benefited from the skirmishes of others. By overtaking Russo at the last corner, who in turn ran wide in the fight with Delbianco, he thus gained the decisive position. For Michele it is the 10th title between Superbike, Superstock 1000 and Supersport, the seventh with the Bergamo team in the premier class.

Podium of the most successful riders ever in the Italian Championship:

1 – Giacomo Agostini – 16 titles. (1 in 250 in 64. 3 in 350 in 70, 71, 72. 12 in 500 in 65, 66 and then from 68 to 77)

2 – Tarquinio Provini – 11 titles. (2 in 125 in 55 and 57. 9 in 175 from 56 to 59, from 61 to 63 and in 65 and 66)

3 – Michele Pirro – 10 titles. (7 in SBK in 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2024. 1 in SS600 in 2009 and 2 in STK1000 in 2007, 2008)

Positive balance also for Kayla Yaakov who in Supersport obtained the 25th position at the finish line, as in race 1. Her start from the 35th spot on the grid was excellent, the 17-year-old American maintained a good pace despite the track being much slower than yesterday. Results that fully satisfied the team and a very formative experience for the continuation of her career in MotoAmerica. A weekend to forget, however, for Aquilano who, following the fall in qualifying, in mutual agreement with the team, chose not to race.
 

Michele Pirro

In the end I managed to achieve what I missed last year, the tenth Italian title. It’s been 24 years since my first victory in a race and when I saw the numbers of my career here at the CIV I thought “Wow! It’s incredible”. In Italy I’m the third best rider ever after Agostini and Provini who raced and won in more categories in the same season. The Italian may not be the World Championship, but remaining competitive and winning for so many years is not easy anywhere, and this makes me particularly proud. Work always pays off and now that I’m starting to “get old” I want to be an example for young people, they can’t think of winning only thanks to talent, it takes hard work and sacrifice. Thanks to Barni, to all his family and to the team that helped me reach these goals that make me want to race and have fun again.

Alberto Butti

I made a good step forward this race too, closing the gap to the leaders. It’s a shame about the problem in the alignment lap that compromised the start and consequently the first laps were a comeback, pushing a lot on the front. Once I reached sixth position I wasn’t able to close the gap with the fifth and – due to the drop of the front tire – I lost 2 positions in the last 2 laps. All this, however, has demonstrated the great growth this year and makes me confident for a good conclusion to the championship in Imola!

Kayla Yaakov

I am a rider and these results cannot make me 100% happy, but I learned a lot from this experience. The tires, the suspension, the characteristics of the circuit, it was all different compared to MotoAmerica, but I will take away a lot of information. I worked with fantastic people including Luca Minelli, Danilo Petrucci’s crew chief in Superbike. He and all the others made themselves available to me, the team is very organized and professional, here at the CIV the level is very high and it was nice to deal with a completely new environment.

Marco Barnabò

I am very happy to have achieved with Michele the title that we have been looking for since last year. Winning the seventh championship together is a great satisfaction, it is not easy to stay at the top for so long. I want to thank everyone who works in the organization of the team: from those who make the engines at home to those who assembled the bike for the season, from the mechanics to all the various departments of the team. And then a special thanks to Pirro who always does his part. Today the conditions were even more difficult than yesterday, the front tire in the slipstream overheated and no longer gave the right feeling to attack; the only thing we did not want to do was make mistakes to compromise the race and that’s how it went. Butti was also very good, it’s a shame about the start that penalized him, then he went on a comeback. I must say “well done” to Kayla too, in the working method and in the sensitivity of the ride she shows much more than her 17 years. She will go far. I hope that this wild card has helped her to grow, she is still very young and can grow even more! I’m sorry to have raced with one less rider, but Edoardo and I decided not to do the race so as not to take risks after yesterday’s crash in qualifying.