The 2021 World Superbike Championship was arguably the most effective in current WorldSBK historical past, however the 2014 title battle got here right down to even smaller margins.
Whereas Toprak Razgatlioglu gained the 2021 title having fought bar-to-bar with Jonathan Rea, who had come into 2021 off the again of six straight titles with Kawasaki, in nearly each race that befell that yr with one race to go, Sylvain Guintoli took a way more measured strategy to successful the championship that finally led to his success within the ultimate race of the season and by the slender margin of six factors.
“Being World Champion in Superbike was my dream since I joined World Superbike,” Guintoli informed WorldSBK.com.
“It was loads of work, loads of dedication. Managing to succeed in the title — particularly within the final race, within the circumstances that it was, who wins the race wins the title, it was a terrific second.”
The story of the 2014 season was not an easy one for Guintoli to navigate, as errors within the first a part of the season left him 44 factors behind Kawasaki’s Tom Sykes with three rounds, six races within the outdated two-race format, and 150 factors remaining.
Guintoli defined that his championship was constructed on choosing up all of the factors he may, even when he made errors.
“2014 was a tough yr,” he stated. “I had some setbacks as effectively, crashes as effectively within the races generally, I crashed within the moist in Assen however remounted and managed to complete seventh ultimately.
“I had one other crash within the moist in Portimao with my teammate [Marco Melandri] on the time, and once more remounted and scored some factors.
“All of this, mainly, added to successful the title, as a result of I solely gained the title by six factors.
“It was a battle all yr lengthy, and a query of not giving up, all the time getting again on and making an attempt to attain the factors.
“So, the title was constructed on being constant, making no errors, and particularly on the finish of the season as a result of I used to be trailing Tom Sykes by various factors and I needed to get well on the finish of the season.
“So, the tip of the yr for me was actually robust, and particularly the final race in Qatar the place I mainly needed to win each races to win the title, which I did.
“It was like most strain, constructing as much as that final race. Lastly, after I did clinch the title, I did it with two race victories, so it was the right option to end.”
Guintoli’s title was gained in his second season with Aprilia, having changed Max Biaggi in 2013 following the Italian’s retirement on the finish of 2012.
“These two years, 2013 and 2014, with Aprilia have been unbelievable,” Guintoli stated.
“For me, it was the primary time that I used to be part of a full manufacturing facility staff. In any case these years racing bikes in numerous championships, it was actually the primary time the place I had a terrific probability of successful races and successful the championship — I used to be not an outsider anymore, I grew to become somebody that must be preventing for the title.
“So, the mentality modified there, and I used to be very a lot targeted with this staff, a terrific staff of individuals, and we had a blast. It was two years the place it was unbelievable, the bike was aggressive, and we labored collectively to realize these outcomes.
“It was a terrific feeling, and one thing that, though I’d been racing for a very long time, I’d by no means actually had the chance to expertise earlier than. So, it took all of it in, obtained the race wins, obtained the title, and obtained the job finished.”
