Lorenzo Baldassarri (born 6 November 1996) is an Italian Grand Prix motorcycle racer, currently competing for GMT94 Yamaha in the 2023 Superbike World Championship. Baldassarri recently raced in the Supersport World Championship, finishing runner-up to Dominique Aegerter in the 2022 standings, but is best known for winning the 2011 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup.

Lorenzo Baldassarri
Baldassarri at the 2015 Catalan Grand Prix
NationalityItalian
Born (1996-11-06) 6 November 1996 (age 28)
San Severino Marche, Italy
Current teamGMT94 Yamaha
Bike number34
Motorcycle racing career statistics
Moto2 World Championship
Active years20142021, 2023
ManufacturersSuter, Kalex, MV Agusta
Championships0
2021 championship position31st (3 pts)
Starts Wins Podiums Poles F. laps Points
135 5 12 2 5 701
Moto3 World Championship
Active years2013
ManufacturersFTR Honda
Championships0
2013 championship positionNC (0 pts)
Starts Wins Podiums Poles F. laps Points
17 0 0 0 0 0
Superbike World Championship
Active years2023
ManufacturersYamaha
Championships0
2023 championship position18th
Starts Wins Podiums Poles F. laps Points
36 0 0 0 0 20
Supersport World Championship
Active years2022, 2024
ManufacturersYamaha, Ducati, Triumph
Championships0
2024 championship position21st (28 pts)
Starts Wins Podiums Poles F. laps Points
41 4 16 4 3 416

Career

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Junior career

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Baldassarri won the 2011 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup with incredible consistency, despite being just 14 years old when he won the title. He won just two races, compared to runner-up Arthur Sissis winning four, but never finished outside the points, and only once finished outside the top 6, while all his rivals had multiple retirements during the season. Baldassarri won the 2011 title with 208 points, over riders like Sissis, Philipp Öttl, Florian Alt, Brad Binder, Joe Roberts, and Andrea Migno.[1]

At age 15, not being the minimum age of 16 to enter the Moto3 championship, Baldassarri returned to the Rookies Cup for the 2012 season, but struggled with motivation, winning the second race of the season in Jerez, and then never finishing on the podium again. He ended the year 8th in the standings, with 101 points.

Moto3 World Championship

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Baldassarri made his Grand Prix motorcycle racing debut in the 2013 Moto3 World Championship, partnering Niccolò Antonelli at Gresini Racing team. His season was a big disappointment, failing to score points in any of the 17 races that year.

Moto2 World Championship

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Gresini Moto2 (2014)

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Still considered an elite talent, Baldassarri was promoted to Moto2 for the 2014 season, partnering Xavier Siméon at Gresini. Baldassarri fared better, scoring points in four races, an 11th place in Barcelona, a 9th place in Assen, a 14th place in Phillip Island, and a 10th place in Valencia, scoring 20 points total for the season, and finishing 25th in the standings.

Forward Racing Team (2015–2017)

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Switching teams for the 2015 season, Baldassarri would ride for Athina Forward Racing, partnered by Simone Corsi. He had a good season, finishing in the points 12 times, finishing in the top-ten 10 times, and scoring his maiden podium in the category by finishing 3rd in Australia.[2] He ended the year 9th in the standings, with 96 points.

Staying with Forward Racing, Baldassarri's teammate for the 2016 season was Luca Marini. Baldassarri would improve again, upping last year's 3rd place with a 2nd place in his home GP in Mugello, and taking his first victory in the category, in also his home GP, in Rimini.[3] He finished the season with 127 points, 8th in the overall standings.

The 2017 Moto2 World Championship was a down year for Baldassarri. He started the season with an 8th place in Qatar, and 4th place in Argentina, before crashing out in Le Mans and Mugello. He had another 4th place in Barcelona, but suffered a crash in Assen, causing him to miss the Dutch and the German GP, where he was replaced by Federico Fuligni. Baldassarri rode the rest of the season not fully fit to ride, and only finished with 51 points, 16th in the final standings.

Flexbox HP40 (2018–2020)

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Baldassarri would switch teams for the 2018 Moto2 World Championship, leaving Forward Racing for HP40 Pons Racing on a three-year deal. Fully healed, he had a bounce-back year, starting the season with a 2nd-place podium in Qatar, and a 4th place in Argentina. He absolutely dominated the weekend in Jerez, completing the weekend hattrick: pole position, fastest lap, and race win, and he did this by leading for every lap in the race as well. He finished 2nd in his home GP in Mugello, making it three podiums in six races. The middle of his season was disappointing however, finishing outside of the points in the Netherlands, Germany, and Austria too. Baldassarri would finish off the season with one good race, and one bad race: he was 3rd in Aragón, retired in Thailand (after starting from Pole position), was 2nd in Japan, 22nd in Australia, 6th in Malaysia, and retired from the season closing race in Valencia. He finished 5th in the championship with 162 points, in front of riders like Joan Mir, Luca Marini, Fabio Quartararo, Iker Lecuona, and Remy Gardner.

The 2019 Moto2 World Championship would start incredibly well for Baldassarri, winning the first two races of the year in Qatar and Argentina, before crashing out from third in the USA.[4] He would win the next race in Jerez, making it three wins out of four rounds. He would not get back on the podium for the rest of the season though, finishing with 171 points, and 7th in the championship standings.

The 2020 season started off well, with Baldassarri finishing the opening round at Qatar in 2nd, but just like 2019, he could not score another podium for the remainder of the season, a 5th place in Valencia was as close as he got. He finished 12th in the standings, with only 71 points, and was not given a contract extension by Pons Racing.

MV Agusta Forward Racing (2021)

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In his eighth Moto2 season, Baldassarri signed back with Forward Racing on a one-year contract, partnering Simone Corsi again.[5] Forward Racing got its chassis and motorcycle from MV Agusta, who struggled to build a competitive bike for the 2021 season, the pair of riders only scoring 19 points throughout the whole year. Corsi finished with 16 points, a 9th place in Le Mans, a 10th place in Aragón, and a 13th place in Austin, while also qualifying himself to Pole position in the season closer in Valencia, earning himself a ride for 2022. Baldassarri on the other hand had his worst season in the category, finishing in the points just twice, a 14th place in Portimao, and a 15th place in Jerez. He was not given a new contract, the team instead choosing to go with Corsi, and Marcos Ramírez for 2022.[6]

Supersport World Championship

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Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team (2022)

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He competed in the 2022 Supersport World Championship, with the Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team.

Superbike World Championship

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GMT94 Yamaha (from 2023)

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Baldassari graduated to Superbike World Championship riding for GMT94 Yamaha in the following season.[7]

Career statistics

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Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup

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Races by year

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(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position, races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Pos Pts
2011 SPA1
4
SPA2
12
POR1
3
POR2
2
GBR1
4
GBR2
1
NED1
1
NED2
2
ITA
4
GER1
6
GER2
4
CZE1
6
CZE2
6
RSM
3
1st 208
2012 SPA1
8
SPA2
1
POR1
14
POR2
10
GBR1
12
GBR2
7
NED1
Ret
NED2
11
GER1
11
GER2
Ret
CZE1
8
CZE2
6
RSM
7
ARA1
Ret
ARA2
6
8th 101

CEV Buckler Moto3 Championship

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Races by year

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(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position, races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Bike 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Pos Pts
2012 Suter Honda JER
Ret
NAV
7
ARA
11
CAT
4
ALB1
Ret
ALB2
8
VAL
7
8th 44

Grand Prix motorcycle racing

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By season

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Season Class Motorcycle Team Race Win Podium Pole FLap Pts Plcd
2013 Moto3 FTR Honda GO&FUN Gresini Moto3 17 0 0 0 0 0 NC
2014 Moto2 Suter Gresini Moto2 18 0 0 0 0 20 25th
2015 Moto2 Kalex Athinà Forward Racing 17 0 1 0 0 96 9th
2016 Moto2 Kalex Forward Team 17 1 2 0 0 127 8th
2017 Moto2 Kalex Forward Racing Team 16 0 0 0 0 51 16th
2018 Moto2 Kalex Pons HP40 18 1 5 2 4 162 5th
2019 Moto2 Kalex Flexbox HP40 19 3 3 0 1 171 7th
2020 Moto2 Kalex Flexbox HP40 15 0 1 0 0 71 12th
2021 Moto2 MV Agusta MV Agusta Forward Racing 14 0 0 0 0 3 31st
2023 Moto2 Kalex Fantic Racing 1 0 0 0 0 0 45th
Total 152 5 12 2 5 701

By class

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Class Seasons 1st GP 1st Pod 1st Win Race Win Podiums Pole FLap Pts WChmp
Moto3 2013 2013 Qatar 17 0 0 0 0 0 0
Moto2 2014–2021 2014 Qatar 2015 Australia 2016 San Marino 135 5 12 2 5 701 0
Total 2013–present 152 5 12 2 5 701 0

Races by year

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(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Class Bike 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Pos Pts
2013 Moto3 FTR Honda QAT
28
AME
Ret
SPA
22
FRA
Ret
ITA
23
CAT
21
NED
20
GER
Ret
INP
Ret
CZE
Ret
GBR
18
RSM
23
ARA
26
MAL
23
AUS
24
JPN
17
VAL
20
NC 0
2014 Moto2 Suter QAT
Ret
AME
Ret
ARG
28
SPA
Ret
FRA
20
ITA
23
CAT
11
NED
9
GER
Ret
INP
17
CZE
Ret
GBR
Ret
RSM
25
ARA
25
JPN
17
AUS
14
MAL
17
VAL
10
25th 20
2015 Moto2 Kalex QAT
10
AME
26
ARG
8
SPA
13
FRA
21
ITA
10
CAT
10
NED
Ret
GER
8
INP CZE
Ret
GBR
Ret
RSM
7
ARA
10
JPN
12
AUS
3
MAL
5
VAL
4
9th 96
2016 Moto2 Kalex QAT
DNS
ARG
13
AME
23
SPA
17
FRA
17
ITA
2
CAT
14
NED
5
GER
5
AUT
8
CZE
16
GBR
6
RSM
1
ARA
7
JPN
Ret
AUS
4
MAL
4
VAL
14
8th 127
2017 Moto2 Kalex QAT
8
ARG
4
AME
Ret
SPA
11
FRA
Ret
ITA
Ret
CAT
4
NED
DNS
GER CZE
18
AUT
Ret
GBR
29
RSM
Ret
ARA
13
JPN
10
AUS
14
MAL
Ret
VAL
15
16th 51
2018 Moto2 Kalex QAT
2
ARG
4
AME
10
SPA
1
FRA
Ret
ITA
2
CAT
7
NED
26
GER
Ret
CZE
4
AUT
26
GBR
C
RSM
6
ARA
3
THA
Ret
JPN
2
AUS
22
MAL
6
VAL
Ret
5th 162
2019 Moto2 Kalex QAT
1
ARG
1
AME
Ret
SPA
1
FRA
Ret
ITA
4
CAT
Ret
NED
Ret
GER
7
CZE
11
AUT
4
GBR
7
RSM
10
ARA
8
THA
25
JPN
4
AUS
5
MAL
7
VAL
17
7th 171
2020 Moto2 Kalex QAT
2
SPA
8
ANC
Ret
CZE
22
AUT
11
STY
15
RSM
11
EMI
25
CAT
Ret
FRA
8
ARA
20
TER
Ret
EUR
5
VAL
10
POR
9
12th 71
2021 Moto2 MV Agusta QAT
Ret
DOH
20
POR
14
SPA
15
FRA
17
ITA
Ret
CAT
23
GER
Ret
NED STY
21
AUT
DNS
GBR
Ret
ARA RSM
24
AME
22
EMI
20
ALR
Ret
VAL
DNS
31st 3
2023 Moto2 Kalex POR ARG AME SPA FRA ITA GER NED
GBR AUT CAT RSM IND JPN INA
23
AUS THA
MAL
QAT
VAL
45th 0

Supersport World Championship

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By season

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Season Class Motorcycle Team Number Race Win Podium Pole FLap Pts Plcd
2022 SSP Yamaha YZF-R6 Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team 7 24 4 16 4 3 388 2nd
2024 SSP Ducati Panigale V2 Orelac Racing Verdnatura 7 5 0 0 0 0 28 21st
Triumph Street Triple RS 765 WRP-RT Motorsport by SKM 12 0 0 0 0
Total 41 4 16 4 3 416

Races by year

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(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Bike 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Pos Pts
R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2
2022 Yamaha SPA
1
SPA
2
NED
Ret
NED
2
POR
2
POR
3
ITA
2
ITA
2
GBR
2
GBR
2
CZE
1
CZE
1
FRA
1
FRA
5
SPA
2
SPA
4
POR
2
POR
7
ARG
9
ARG
3
INA
Ret
INA
9
AUS
4
AUS
3
2nd 388
2024 Ducati AUS
Ret
AUS
9
SPA
26
SPA
16
NED
Ret
NED
DSQ
21st 28
Triumph ITA
14
ITA
21
GBR
14
GBR
14
CZE
15
CZE
13
POR
12
POR
Ret
FRA FRA ITA ITA SPA SPA POR
Ret
POR
15
SPA
10
SPA
Ret

Superbike World Championship

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By season

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Season Class Motorcycle Team Number Race Win Podium Pole FLap Pts Plcd
2023 SBK Yamaha YZF-R1 GMT94 Yamaha 34 36 0 0 0 0 20 18th
Total 36 0 0 0 0 20

Races by year

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(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Bike 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Pos Pts
R1 SR R2 R1 SR R2 R1 SR R2 R1 SR R2 R1 SR R2 R1 SR R2 R1 SR R2 R1 SR R2 R1 SR R2 R1 SR R2 R1 SR R2 R1 SR R2
2023 Yamaha AUS
17
AUS
16
AUS
16
INA
15
INA
15
INA
14
NED
16
NED
20
NED
13
SPA
17
SPA
17
SPA
Ret
EMI
15
EMI
12
EMI
Ret
GBR
14
GBR
16
GBR
19
ITA
Ret
ITA
18
ITA
16
CZE
16
CZE
Ret
CZE
Ret
FRA
Ret
FRA
14
FRA
13
SPA
17
SPA
21
SPA
16
POR
16
POR
16
POR
13
SPA
12
SPA
12
SPA
15
18th 20

* Season still in progress.

CIV National 600

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Races by year

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(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Bike 1 2 3 4 5 6 Pos Pts
R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2
2022 Yamaha MIS
MIS
VAL
VAL
MUG
1
MUG
1
MIS2
MIS2
MUG2
MUG2
IMO
IMO
11th 50

References

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  1. ^ Sports, Dorna. "Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup: Alt's win, Baldassarri's Cup | MotoGP™". www.motogp.com.
  2. ^ Sports, Dorna. "Baldassarri: "I found a great pace" | MotoGP™". www.motogp.com.
  3. ^ Sports, Dorna. "Baldassarri delighted with first win". www.motogp.com.
  4. ^ "Argentina Moto2: Baldassarri scores back-to-back wins". www.motorsport.com.
  5. ^ "LORENZO BALDASSARRI, PILOTA MV AGUSTA PER LA STAGIONE 2021". mvagustarepartocorse.com. MV Agusta Forward Racing. 13 October 2020. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
  6. ^ "Marcos Ramírez at MV Agusta Forward for the Moto2 World Championship in 2022 - Motorcycle Sports". 20 September 2021.
  7. ^ "GMT94 Yamaha Boyong Lorenzo Baldassarri ke WSBK 2023".
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Sporting positions
Preceded by Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup
Champion

2011
Succeeded by