Giancarlo Falappa The Lion with Ducati

Giancarlo Falappa, nicknamed The Lion of Jesi (Jesi, 30 June 1964) is an ex former Italian pilot. His career on two wheels was begining in 1979. Like so many other colleagues in the discipline which has been engaged on motocross. In the saddle of a Motovilla, in 1981 he won the Italian Championship Cadets. Obtained this result went to the Senior. From 1982 to 1984 participated in the World Cross 250 as pilot Motovilla Journal. The legend tells that in global competition "Intermarche Cup" on Lovolo Jesi the pilot was to run for the team and Orlando Villa with Vicarelli. The misfortune happened that at the start was an accident: it is engaging, just left the starting gate, the two fellow teammates. Who was present, told today that after the fall, like a cat he got back in the saddle and threw it in pursuit of the group (which has now led a lap ahead), headed by the strong Malherbe on Honda. His companions in misfortune slower the Marches tried the bike, but in a shared confusion motion reversed in a hurry because Falappa taken the bike in Orlando and that you threw in a madman comeback: last at the end of the first round, 20 ° per second , 15 ° in the third to go back to the 6th position after having run the whole race with a bike that was not his one. Although this company was not Falappa more competitive bike, because of budget problems and decided to stop with motocross. This forced stop lasted two years. The decisive change in his career, it faced in 1987 when he decided to leave the wheel knobs for speed. Randomly on a Sunday, at Jesi, with motorcyclists friends,he was invited to a round on the track with a road bike at Misano (Giancarlo had risen, until then, only on bikes cross). Appeared on the circuit with a Kawasaki GPZ 600 given by his friend.With this bike, after only about an hour of laps on the track, surprised everyone by making a time of just 8 tenths higher than the Italian Champion of Class 600. The following week he went from a motorcycle dealer to buy a Suzuki GSX-R 1100, he pay it with one million lire in cash and 10 million lire with credit bills. The same Giancarlo said in more than one occasion that in the initial stages, this turning point in his career was pretty casual, stating that it had started more than anything else for a bet with his friends. They argued that Falappa was an excellent rider in motocross, but with bike on circuit would not have obtained impressive results. But the truth was far different from what these alleged "friends" as his first race on an asphalted road circuit, winning all deny. It was on 14-09-1987, Falappa, riding his Suzuki GSX-R 1100 cc attended the last race of the Italian Sport Production, which will be played that year at Vallelunga. After the good performance was noted by management and the Bimota and for the yrar 1988 he was hired by the Romagnola Factory as a laborer with the promise, in the case of victory, to take him as test-driver and pilot in the official World SBK

The coupled-Falappa Bimota proved immediately successful and the pilot from Jesi won the Italian Sport Production in the saddle of a Bimota YB4 750 cc. 1989 was the year of turning point: Giancarlo Falappa, as a reward for having won the Italian Sport Production in the previous year was promoted by Bimota at pilot of the Superbike World Championship. The former cross-man with "well" six-speed races behind him, he made his debut in the world as the famous shoulder Fabio Biliotti, former European Champion and successful pilot of the 500th At the beginning of the season were well-defined hierarchies: Biliotti first guide, Falappa his faithful squire. No one suspected that the pilot from Jesi would proved more competitive as the noble companion team Falappa on the Donington circuit, to his debut in the World SBK did mark the pole position and victory, riding the Bimota which was not the fastest bike in the lot. It was at that time that at Bimota they understood to have not a formar worker in the factory, but they realized to have a great pilot in the team. Its incredible performance it's still remembered as one of the most stunning debuts in the history of World Superbike, comparable to that of Marco Lucchinelli riding the Ducati 851 of 1988. Following this performance, Biliotti retired from competitions and won other victories Falappa: Le Castellet and Mosport, concluding sixth ranked rainbow in his season debut. The legend of Falappa already started to feed in his first year in the league for the derivatives from the series, for example in Le Castellet, where it gained its second victory rainbow, it was part of a spectacular duel with Mike Baldwin, a former pilot of 500cc by GP. At the Franch race Bimota called the fast Mike Baldwin as partner of the unleashed Falappa, and the U.S. pilot proved immidiatly to be very competitive, waging body to body with the stratospheric Falappa . In the very long straight of the circuit the two pilots clashed several times at 290 km / h times, and it is a blow more violent of the other that convinced the U.S. pilot to desist, and launching Falappa to the victory without a handlebar! That's right: in the clash Falappa broked the left handlebar, ending the race with his hand on the fork.. Bracco and Leo, his mechanics at the time (now under the Ducati), still recoils telling Giancarlo's face that just screams reached the "change the handlebars before the park closed otherwise disqualify me." If the 1989 season was that of his debut in the maximum league for the derivatives from the series, 1990 was another year of important change for the pilot from Jesi: he was hired by Ducati with Marco Lucchinelli as team manager.

The way he got the engagement is worthy of the character: while Marco Lucchinelli was driving at 180 km / h directed to Misano track on the motorway. More or less at Imola Marco saw the right door opening by a madman in motion, who then greeted ripartre rising standing on running boards. The madman was Giancarlo Falappa who was "testing" a Bimota. Lucchinelli was "struck" by the pilot and the team wanted immediately. Giancarlo Falappa was then hired by the official Ducati team in his second year in World Superbike, flanked by fellow team cold Raymond Roche, which proved immediately, clearly nervous to have a new companion in this fashion. The trust placed in Ducati Falappa was immediately rewarded by the pilot of Jesi, which in his Ducati with the 851 just won the first race which was followed two other statements. His reckless driving, however, led him to have a serious accident in Zeltweg, Austria in the sixth race in the calendar. A 5 minutes from the end of the practice race he was in full fight for pole. In agreement with team manager Lucchinelli he went out to give the last assault at the first place on the grid. In the middle of t a curve at 240 km / due to a risky maneuver by a slower driver,he tryed not crash him, Falappa was violently restrain earlier. Being already in the fold the fron it closed it self and he slipped. On the Austrian track, at one meter from the track there was the gard-rail. Giancarlo came against the metal plate, the results were: 27 fractures, severed the femoral artery with consegente loss of 2 and a half liters of blood. The disaster left shoulder (at the end of 1991 will be a circumflex nerve transplant in France in Marseille). The pilot fell into coma for 12 days. After this time the danger of life was averted, and was transferred to the hospital Giancarlo Rizzoli in Bologna, where he remained for several months under the care of Dr. Massimo Corbascio. At the time the incident was the 3rd place in the standings. Despite this frightening incident and the long absence from the circuit, the budget of 1990 was positive: 6th place in the World Championship and a 3rd place in the Italian Superbike Championship. Roche, his team won the World Cup instead.

Falappa told himself that his relation with the Ducati was unbreakable because after the accident in 1990 the owner of Ducati Gianfranco Castiglioni said: You are the with Ducati again next year!

In 1991 Falappa recovered and despite the physical problems, fell again in February on track with the Ducati 888. Against the advice of two prestigious medical dott.Corbascio and dott.Costa, Giancarlo, despite the obvious physical problems (left arm that could not raise, and that still has not recovered full mobility; left leg that he could not bend to because of the 13 fractures to the femur and metal nails and screws implanted) decided to return to motorcycle racing, not to participate, but as his philosophy of life, to win! Also in 1991 was stable companion Raymond Roche under the official Team Ducati. It should be noted that during the disputed race at Mugello in Italy, (in natural disaster conditions), Giancarlo long led the race on wet. Come to have a minute lead over Doug Polen his immediate pursuer, was forced to retire with a broken fuel pump. Ended the season with the eleventh place in the SBK World Championship. In 1992 Giancarlo continued to be the official pilot of the Team Ducati, paired with Doug Polen, winner of the World SBK Championship of 1991. The bike available was the 888. The new Team Manager of Scuderia was Franco Uncini. The arrival of Polen led Giancarlo to the new Dunlop tires, never used in before.Polen was ufficial Dunlop pilot already in the U.S., while Giancarlo Falappa had always used Michelin. Giancarlo, despite the terrible incident of 1990, showed that he had fully recovered his form and was again a protagonist of duels exciting as the overtaking of the famous Mugello against Stefhan Martens. The Ducati pilot faced the curve Casanova Savelli at the wheel of the Belgian pilot. The Arrabbiata first came to the very narrow, along the curb, turned left and right quickly overtaking in a slight climb in acceleration. The pilot on that occasion did not fail to praise the goodness of the tires mounted, which he said enabled him to maneuver incredible. A beautiful pass, the speaker John Di Pillo, who had the good fortune to see him in a closed-circuit monitors of the autodromo described as "incredible." In the same year he won both runs in the race on the Zeltweg circuit, the scene of the ugly incident that was about to smash his career two years earlier. He terminate the SBK World Championship in fourth place, having won 7 runs total. In 1993, saw him once in the official Team Ducati with the 888, paired with Carl Fogarty, Team Manager was the former world champion Raymond Roche. The bike of Bologna Factory went back to the French Michelin coperture . At the first race of the opening of World SBK at Brands Hatch, a new circuit for everyone, except the British pilots (Fogarty, Morrison, Hislop ..), Giancarlo annihilated once again all in a race "wet" with a masterful performance, a distance of over a minute on the second arrived even doubling the seventh. He won again in Germany (Hockheneim), Misano ( both runs), Austria (Zeltweg), Monza, concluding with a booty of 8 wins overall well, but unfortunately, to conflict within the French Team for the development of the bike on the track, sliding from first to fifth position in the world rankings. That year also had to surrender Giancarlo the superiority of the Kawasaki ZXR 750 conducted by Scott Russell. In 1994 the adventure of the Ducati Giancarlo continued. After disagreements and bitterness felt by former Team Manager, a proposal was made to Giancarlo by Honda to race in the SBK World Team Castrol with the brand new RC45 and 750cc. The heart of the Lion is red Ducati and Falappa had well in mind the words of Castiglioni, said after his frightening accident in Austria in 1990th Churches, however, be dismissed from the Team Roche. He was satisfied, being transferred, together with Carl Fogarty at Ducati team captained by Virginio Ferrari.

A very important task, therefore, he was assigned: to begin the adventure and try to help development of the fantastic weapon of Borgo Panigale: the all-new 916th began the World SBK at Donington Park (GB), but due to a technical problem, finished in fifth position in both manches.Second try Hockheneim (D): even problems with the electronic exchange forced him to fourth position. so came the turn of Misano, the 26/05, which proved to be the last race contested by Leone. obtained a spectacular second place in the first round and a win in race 2, Giancarlo took the second place in the world rankings, behind the Kawasaki of the American Scott Russell, while his fellow Team mate Carl Fogarty was occupying the fourth place. Shortly after that triumph, Giancarlo went to Albacete (E), to perform some important tests of the new development on the bike. During the completion of the test on the new swingarm Giancarlo head a new system of electronic exchange, built by the ad hoc team for him, to try to remedy to his physical problems due to the aftermath of the previous incident of'90 (which is not allowed to bend your left knee, making it impossible to change gear while he was in turn). Unfortunately, a sudden mechanical failure of their exchange was thrown backwards Giancarlo, above the bike to over 4 meters in height, making him fall and then "dive in" with his head. This brought the nasty blow a serious head injury that forced him to 38 days in coma. The pilot of Jesi will hovering between life and death for at least 30 days. His career, in fact, it is interrupted here Despite this, Falappa continued to work hard to come back to win for him, for Ducati and his beloved public. 29/05 1997 Giancarlo made a final test to Rjeka, assisted by the mobile clinic that followed him in this adventure. The test is not successful and had the lion of Jesi realized that his career was now finished and hung up his helmet to the nail. cured, helped by Dr. Claudio Costa and Giovanni Di Pillo, but stopped running, and becoming the testimonial Ducati. As written among gold World SBK, although it is flattering figures with 16 wins 8 Pole in just 4 years of racing , does not do full justice to this great pilot. Although it is still the Italian driver for greater success in the league for the derivatives from the series, the numbers there telling of adrenalina who gave us with his maneuvers and not an with the conduct of race doomed to "all or nothing." Giancarlo Falappa was undoubtedly one of the leading exponents of the World Superbike. It is fair to say that the pilot of Jesi, with its business, has contributed significantly to launch of this young season. Il Leone is still beloved by the public and for those who have had the good fortune to see him compete, the memory of his tightrope walkers "monoruota" standing on running boards of his Ducati is indelible. Giancarlo is one of the last hero of motorcycle racing that no longer exists today, with the most heartfelt and instinct rather than rational and calculations, the fact of human warmth with companions and a healthy rivalry, based on fair duels with opponents. In the heart of all the Ducatisti and Bimota Friends, Lion has never ceased to roar!