Was this the 'fairytale' race of the 2024 WorldSBK season?

Today at 04:17 AM

The 2024 World Superbike season was an unpredictable year, but I don't think anyone had this down on their bingo cards!

Nicholas Spinelli created a story in 2024 that many could only dream of. In the opening race of the weekend at Assen the Italian rider won his first World Superbike race, in his first start.

Spinelli was not contracted to race in World Superbikes in 2024 but replaced the injured Danilo Petrucci in the Barni Spark Racing Team for the Dutch Round. The 23-year-old had not tested the Ducati Panigale V4 R before the race weekend but did have experience in the World Superbike paddock after racing in World Supersport in 2023.

During the race, Spinelli took advantage of mixed weather conditions and gambled on his tyre choice. The Italian decided to run intermediate tyres, which was the opposite of the rest of the field. Spinelli quickly took the lead and remained at the front until the red flag was shown, which ended the race.

"The fact that we got this guy who had never been on this bike and win a race really seems more like a fairytale than a race," Barni Spark Racing team owner Marco Barnabo told WorldSBK.com.

"It was incredible. It was extraordinary because, honestly, we didn't expect it at all. It was an indescribable emotion. I started laughing when I realised we had won the race, actually, to tell the truth, I started laughing on the first lap when we pulled seven or eight seconds ahead of everyone and I didn't stop laughing all day.

"It's a dream we've been chasing since we started in the championship, and it's something that I'd love to wish for everyone who does my job. The sacrifices all managers make to race in this championship, both financially and in terms of commitment, are immense. Achieving such success makes all the hard work worthwhile."

The post Was this the 'fairytale' race of the 2024 WorldSBK season? appeared first on BikeSport News.