Niccolo Canepa's Profile

• Bike No.: 88
• Born:
• Place of birth: Genova
• Nationality: Italian
• Weight:
• Height:
• Class: MotoGP
• Team: Pramac Racing Ducati

Background

MotoGP rookie Niccolo Canepa is Ducati’s homegrown representative in the premier class for 2009, continuing the factory’s tradition of running at least one Italian rider in the category. The debutant is not merely making up the numbers, however, as he has proved to be a speedy competitor with the Desmosedici during his time as a test rider.

Coming from a racing family, with his father a former rider, Canepa began his career on the national minibike scene at the age of eleven, taking numerous victories. Three years later, on the day following his fourteenth birthday, he became the youngest participant to date to ride in the Coppa Italia 600 Superstock series, with the bigger bikes becoming his speciality over the next two years. During this time he competed in several Supersport races in the international series.

Carrier Highlights

In 2006 the Genoa-born rider finished second in the European Superstock Championship with the Ducati Xerox Junior Team, despite missing the final races of the campaign through injury. This was followed by a title victory in the eleven-round FIM Superstock 1000 Superstock Cup.

Canepa’s relationship with Ducati continued into 2007, when he took over from Shinichi Ito as the factory’s test rider. In addition, he competed as a wildcard on a superbike to keep in race shape.

The Alice Team garage is his new home for the 2009 campaign, joining Mika Kallio as both undertake their first MotoGP campaign.

Mika Kallio's Profile

• Place of birth: Valkeakoski
• Date of birth: November 8, 1982
• Nationality : Finland
• Weight: 56Kg.
• Height: 165cm.
• Residence Town: Monaco
• Class: MotoGP
• Team: Pramac Racing Ducati

Carrier Highlights

A newcomer to MotoGP with the Alice Team, Mika Kallio leaves behind a successful apprenticeship in the lower cylinder categories, although he was never quite able to take a world title.

His father was a top-level rider, and it was this influence that stopped him from following in the four-wheeled footsteps of some of his country's more famous sportsmen such as Hakkinen and Makinen.

Kallio won the 125cc Finish Championship for three consecutive years and has also been the national 'ice-bike' champion, a discipline which uses specially adapted motocross bikes on a frozen road racing track before taking fifth overall in the European Championship in 2001.

The same year he made his World Championship debut in Germany and earned a full time ride with the Ajo Motorsport team for the next season, in which he was the best rookie in 11th overall. The following year he also took 11th in the Championship, with his first podium in Sepang, having joined the new KTM team midway through the season.

Two years of success with KTM in 125cc gave him the runner-up spot in both 2005 and 2006, but despite the departure of previous World Champions Thomas Luthi and Alvaro Bautista he opted himself for a move up to 250cc. In his debut season in the quarter-litre class he won races in Japan and Valencia, and became a firm contender for the title in 2008.

A sterling start to his final campaign in 250cc put Kallio firmly in the driving seat, but a further two wins were not enough to deny Marco Simoncelli the title as the Finn´s form dipped. He now attempts to get to grips with the Desmosedici GP9 Sat as part of a more factory-supported Ducati satellite team, in his MotoGP debut.