Regis Laconi is the most popular rider
in France today and certainly the most
successful currently racing in the top
motorcycle racing categories. In signing
for the 2004 Ducati Fila WSBK championship
team, the 28-year-old from Saint Dizier
becomes the first French rider to earn
a factory Ducati ride since the legendary
Raymond Roche abandoned racing in 1992
and Laconi will certainly hope to repeat
the success of his compatriot, who won
the title in 1990.
Laconi's early career saw him make his
debut in the French 125cc championship
in 1991 at the age of 16, a title he then
won the following year. 1992 also saw
him make his World Championship debut
in the same category in his home GP at
Le Mans.
Moving up to the quarter-litre category,
he then added two more titles to his tally
by winning the French championship and
the European championship in 1994. The
next two years saw Regis finish 27th and
15th in the World 250cc Championship,
while his 500cc debut season in 1997 was
cut short with a crash in Austria. Laconi
then finished tenth in 1998, eleventh
in 1999 and twelfth in 2000, but 1999
at least saw him take his first pole position,
podium and victory in the Valencia race
for Yamaha.
Regis switched to the World Superbike
Championship with Aprilia in 2001 after
losing his Red Bull Yamaha ride and triumphed
in his debut season at Imola, becoming
one of a select group of riders to win
in both MotoGP and WSBK. The following
year he moved back to MotoGP with Aprilia
to ride the all new RS Cube, but spent
a difficult season developing the powerful
but ill-handling machine and was replaced
at the end of year.
In 2003 he returned to WSBK, riding for
the Caracchi NCR Nortel Networks team,
and his strong performances on a Ducati
998RS (five podiums, three second places,
two fastest laps) earned him a full-factory
ride for this year with Ducati Fila.
- 2004: World Superbike Championship (Ducati
999F04)
- 2003: 4th - World Superbike Championship
(Ducati 998RS)
- 2002: 19th - World MotoGP Championship
(Aprilia)
- 2001: 11th - World Superbike Championship
(Aprilia)
- 2000: 12th - World 500 GP Championship
(Yamaha)
- 1999: 11th - World 500 GP Championship
(Yamaha)
- 1998: 10th - World 500 GP Championship
(Yamaha)
- 1997: 14th - World 500 GP Championship
(Honda)
- 1996: 15th - World 250 GP Championship
(Honda)
- 1995: 27th - World 250 GP Championship
(Honda)
- 1994: 1st - European 250 GP Championship
(Honda)
- 1994: 1st - French 250 GP Championship
(Honda)
- 1992: 1st - French 125cc Championship
(Honda)
