For a rider of relatively youthful age of 23, Michel Fabrizio has managed to pack a lot of racing into his career. Starting to ride at age six, on the highly prevalent minimoto circuits of Italy, Fabrizio rose to become a champion at only 12 years of age, winning the Trophy of Future Champions in 1996, and repeating the feat once more in 1998, as well as scooping a success in his regional Minimoto Championship.
His minimoto career continued up to the point of securing the Italian Cup, before making a typical move for any aspiring modern day Italian racer, into the SP 125 class - for roadbike based 125cc Supersport bikes. He scored two victories in this division, and his winning ways were repeated in 2001, with not one but three championship wins in total.
The Gilera Italia team noted his incredible rate of progress and he was offered a ride in the 125cc GP series in 2002. Scoring points in two races, at Motegi and Welkom, Fabrizio found himself in one of the most tightly contested series on earth.
With no two-stroke GP opportunities presenting themselves thereafter, the 2003 season nonetheless proved to him and the world that he was not afraid of running on closely matched machinery, even if it was as far from the small two-strokes of his previous racing exploits as it could possibly be.
The European Superstock Championship had helped more than one rider progress his career and Fabrizio, riding a full 1000cc Suzuki for one of the few high profile teams, proved his worth almost right from the start. Michel secured four wins and won the title by three points, from well-supported Ducati rider Lorenzo Lanzi.
Fabrizio’s ability to handle over 150bhp, all on regular treaded street tyres, brought him to the attention of the WCM Grand Prix team for the 2004 season, but he battled against the cream of the MotoGP world on an underpowered machine.
Michel then took up the offer of a ride for the Team Italia Megabike squad for the final two World Supersport races, at Imola and Magny Cours. He acquitted himself well on home tarmac, taking a seventh place, but saved an outstanding second place qualifying ride for the last round in France. His race ended with a retirement, but he had done more than enough to convince his new team to give him a full time berth in 2005.
A combination of retirements and poor fortune at key moments saw Fabrizio only fifth after the end of his rookie WSS season, but he scored a pole position at Magny-Cours and took a total of five podium finishes, including two second places. More importantly, he had proved his worth to a watching world once more, and was promoted to the Superbike class for 2006, with the DFX Honda team.
His progress was cyclical, but the highs were very high, scoring three podiums in total when the machine set-up and tyre choice were in harmonious combination. A planned Gresini Honda MotoGP debut at Donington Park, in place of the injured Toni Elias, was dashed when he broke his collarbone in a practice crash.
Fabrizio remained with DFX for 2007, but soon felt that the gulf between satellite and factory teams was bigger than ever and the sole highlight of a tough season was a third place finish at Brno. The Italian's Honda Europe popularity saw him finally make his Honda MotoGP race debut, again in place of the injured Elias, at the German Grand Prix, where Michel qualified 17th on his way to a tenth place finish.
Nevertheless, Ducati were on the hunt for a new rider to replace Lorenzo Lanzi and Fabrizio split from Honda to achieve his factory ride goal by signing to partner Troy Bayliss on the new 1098R in 2008.
Career Highlights
2007: 11th World Superbike Championship with DFX Honda, one podium.
2006: 11th World Superbike Championship with DFX Honda, three podiums.
2005: 5th World Supersport Championship with Team Italia Megabike Honda.
2004: 22nd MotoGP on Harris WCM, best of 10th place at Jerez
WSS Championship, one seventh place and a second place qualifying position at Magny-Cours.
2003: European Superstock Champion, four wins
2002: 27th 125cc World Championship with 125 Gilera Team Italia
2001: 1st Aprilia Challenge, 1st Italian Cup, 1st Superchampionship
2000: 5th Aprilia Challenge, SP 125 Championship with 2 race victories, 1st Italian Cup
1999: 3rd Italian Minimoto Championship
1998: 1st Regional Minimoto Series, 1st Minimoto Future Champions’ Trophy
1997: 2nd Regional Minimoto Series
1996: 1st Minimoto Future Champions’ Trophy
