1991 Superbike World Championship Explained

The 1991 Superbike World Championship was the fourth FIM Superbike World Championship season. The season started on 1 April at Donington Park and finished on 19 October at Phillip Island after 13 rounds.

Doug Polen won the riders' championship with 17 victories and Ducati won the manufacturers' championship.

The third round of the championship at Mosport was boycotted by the regular riders on safety grounds.^[1]

1991 calendar^[2]
Round		Circuit	Date	Pole position	Fastest lap	Winning rider	Winning team
1	R1	Donington	1 April	Doug Polen	Stéphane Mertens	Doug Polen	Team Fast by Ferracci
1	R2	Donington	1 April	Doug Polen	Doug Polen	Stéphane Mertens	Total Wanty Mertens Racing
2	R1	Jarama	28 April	Doug Polen	Doug Polen	Doug Polen	Team Fast by Ferracci
2	R2	Jarama	28 April	Doug Polen	Doug Polen	Doug Polen	Team Fast by Ferracci
3	R1	Mosport	2 June	Tom Kipp	Pascal Picotte	Pascal Picotte	Fast Yamaha/Sunoco
3	R2	Mosport	2 June	Tom Kipp	Rueben McMurter	Tom Kipp	Wiseco Piston
4	R1	Brainerd	9 June	Stéphane Mertens	Doug Polen	Doug Polen	Team Fast by Ferracci
4	R2	Brainerd	9 June	Stéphane Mertens	Stéphane Mertens	Doug Polen	Team Fast by Ferracci
5	R1	Österreichring	30 June	Doug Polen	Doug Polen	Stéphane Mertens	Total Wanty Mertens Racing
5	R2	Österreichring	30 June	Doug Polen	Doug Polen	Doug Polen	Team Fast by Ferracci
6	R1	Misano	4 August	Doug Polen	Rob Phillis	Doug Polen	Team Fast by Ferracci
6	R2	Misano	4 August	Doug Polen	Raymond Roche	Doug Polen	Team Fast by Ferracci
7	R1	Anderstorp	11 August	Doug Polen	Stéphane Mertens	Doug Polen	Team Fast by Ferracci
7	R2	Anderstorp	11 August	Doug Polen	Raymond Roche	Doug Polen	Team Fast by Ferracci
8	R1	Sugo	25 August	Doug Polen	Doug Polen	Doug Polen	Team Fast by Ferracci
8	R2	Sugo	25 August	Doug Polen	Doug Polen	Doug Polen	Team Fast by Ferracci
9	R1	Shah Alam	1 September	Doug Polen	Doug Polen	Raymond Roche	Squadra Corse Ducati Lucchinelli
9	R2	Shah Alam	1 September	Doug Polen	Raymond Roche	Raymond Roche	Squadra Corse Ducati Lucchinelli
10	R1	Hockenheim	15 September	Doug Polen	Raymond Roche	Doug Polen	Team Fast by Ferracci
10	R2	Hockenheim	15 September	Doug Polen	Doug Polen	Raymond Roche	Squadra Corse Ducati Lucchinelli
11	R1	Magny-Cours	29 September	Rob Phillis	Doug Polen	Doug Polen	Team Fast by Ferracci
11	R2	Magny-Cours	29 September	Rob Phillis	Doug Polen	Doug Polen	Team Fast by Ferracci
12	R1	Mugello	6 October	Doug Polen	Doug Polen	Doug Polen	Team Fast by Ferracci
12	R2	Mugello	6 October	Doug Polen	Giancarlo Falappa	Raymond Roche	Squadra Corse Ducati Lucchinelli
13	R1	Phillip Island	19 October	Doug Polen	Aaron Slight	Kevin Magee	Peter Jackson Yamaha Racing
13	R2	Phillip Island	19 October	Doug Polen	Aaron Slight	Doug Polen	Team Fast by Ferracci

Championship standings

In each race, points were awarded as follows:

Riders' standings

1991 final riders' standings^[3]
Pos.	Rider	Bike	GBR		SPA		CAN		USA		AUT		SMR		SWE		JPN		MAL		GER		FRA		ITA		AUS		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	R1	R2
1	Doug Polen	Ducati	1	*Ret*	1	1			1	1	2	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	4	5	1	2	1	1	1	2	2	1	432
2	Raymond Roche	Ducati	Ret	2	Ret	3			DNS	DNS	3	3	4	2	Ret	3	6	2	1	1	2	1	2	2	2	1			282
3	Rob Phillis	Kawasaki	4	3	2	Ret			4	5	4	4	2	3	2	2	2	Ret	5	Ret	4	4	4	5	DNS	DNS	4	3	267
4	Stéphane Mertens	Ducati	Ret	1	Ret	2			3	3	1	2	6	Ret	Ret	Ret	Ret	Ret	9	2	5	6	7	3	4	Ret	5	6	217
5	Fabrizio Pirovano	Yamaha	3	8	5	5			5	6	Ret	5	5	4	3	Ret	7	7	2	3	Ret	7	Ret	6	Ret	6			195
6	Terry Rymer	Yamaha	2	4	7	Ret			DNS	DNS	6	9	8	9	7	12	Ret	14	10	Ret	7	9	5	4	3	3			162
7	Carl Fogarty	Honda	Ret	9	9	8			11	11			7	8	4	4	11	8	8	7	9	10	6	7	7	Ret			146
8	Fred Merkel	Honda	Ret	Ret	Ret	Ret			6	4	8	8	9	7	8	6	12	9	12	9	Ret	Ret	3	10	8	Ret			124
9	Giancarlo Falappa	Ducati	14	Ret	Ret	Ret			7	Ret	Ret	7	10	6	6	13	10	11	6	Ret	6	3	Ret	8	6	Ret			113
10	Davide Tardozzi	Ducati									5	6	3	5			9	10	3	6	3	8			DNS	DNS			108
11	Udo Mark	Yamaha			8	7					7	10	11	Ret	10	10	18	Ret			8	5							68
12	Jeffrey de Vries	Yamaha	9	10	15	Ret			10	10	11	12	16	16	12	Ret	Ret	24	13	13	13	Ret	12	14	15	5	Ret	Ret	66
13	Aaron Slight	Kawasaki															3	4	7	4							3	Ret	65
14	Kevin Magee	Yamaha															5	3									1	2	63
15	Jari Suhonen	Yamaha	DNS	DNS	Ret	9					9	11	Ret	15	5	7	Ret	17			14	12	9	12	17	12			61
16		Honda	11	11	3	4			14	DNS	17	Ret	Ret	11	Ret	Ret	17	18	14	10	DNQ	DNQ	16	18	13	15			57
17	Scott Russell	Kawasaki							2	2							8	5											53
18	Daniel Amatriain	Honda	Ret	13	4	6					12	17	13	13	14	11	DNS	DNS			15	21	20	13					47
19	Edwin Weibel	Honda	13	14	Ret	Ret																							41
19	Ducati											18	Ret							10	11	14	9	9	7				41
20	Jean-Yves Mounier	Yamaha	DNS	DNS					13	9	10	14	20	17	9	9	21	20	18	12	11	Ret	DNS	DNS					41
21	Rob McElnea	Yamaha	5	5											11	8					Ret	16							35
22	Brian Morrison	Yamaha	6	6																			8	11	18	Ret			33
23	Niall Mackenzie	Honda	7	7	Ret	DNS			15	12																			33
23	Yamaha															Ret	6												33
24	Linnley Clarke	Yamaha					4	2																					30
25	Yves Brisson	Honda					2	4																					30
26	Baldassarre Monti	Honda	Ret	Ret	6	Ret			8	7	DNS	DNS													DNS	DNS			27
27	Steve Crevier	Kawasaki					3	5																					26
28	Malcolm Campbell	Honda															19	21									6	4	23
29	Rueben McMurter	Honda					Ret	3	12	13																			22
30	Scott Doohan	Yamaha																	17	14							7	5	22
31	Massimo Broccoli	Kawasaki			21	14					DNQ	DNQ	12	12							22	Ret			10	11			21
32	Tom Kipp	Yamaha					Ret	1	Ret	Ret							22	22											20
33	Pascal Picotte	Yamaha					1	Ret																					20
34	Benoît Pilon	Yamaha					6	6																					20
35		Kawasaki											NC	Ret	16	Ret					DNQ	DNQ	11	DNS	Ret	4			18
36	Steve Martin	Suzuki																									8	7	17
37	John Hopperstad	Yamaha					8	7	18	DNS																			17
38	Peter Rubatto	Yamaha	Ret	16	12	Ret					15	13			13	DNS					Ret	13	23	DNS	Ret	13			17
39	Jacques Guenette	Kawasaki							9	8																			15
40	Michael O'Connor	Honda																									10	8	14
Pos.	Rider	Bike	GBR		SPA		CAN		USA		AUT		SMR		SWE		JPN		MAL		GER		FRA		ITA		AUS		Pts

Bold – Pole position
Italics – Fastest lap

Manufacturers' standings

1991 final manufacturers' standings^[4]
Pos.	Manufacturer	GBR		SPA		CAN		USA		AUT		SMR		SWE		JPN		MAL		GER		FRA		ITA		AUS		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	R1	R2
1	Ducati	1	1	1	1	7	13	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	2	1	489
2	Yamaha	2	4	5	5	1	1	5	6	6	5	5	4	3	5	4	3	2	3	7	5	5	4	3	3	1	2	355
3	Kawasaki	3	4	2	14	3	5	2	2	4	4	2	3	2	2	2	4	5	4	4	4	4	5	11	4	3	3	351
4	Honda	7	7	3	4	2	3	6	4	8	8	7	7	4	4	11	8	8	7	9	10	3	7	7	11	6	4	265
5	Suzuki					11	11	20	15	Ret	Ret			21	Ret	15	15	21	Ret	DNQ	DNQ					8	7	30
6	Bimota	15	20	Ret	13					Ret	15	14	10							DNS	DNS							13
Pos.	Manufacturer	GBR		SPA		CAN		USA		AUT		SMR		SWE		JPN		MAL		GER		FRA		ITA		AUS		Pts

External links

Web site: 1991 FIM Diesel Jeans Superbike World Championship. superbike-archives.net.

Notes and References

News: Kipp, Picotte win boycotted Mosport. cyclenews.uberflip.com. Cycle News. 2. 12 June 1991. 28 March 2015.
Web site: 1991 FIM Diesel Jeans Superbike World Championship. superbike-archives.net.
Web site: 1991 World Superbike - Riders Championship - Points Standings. superbike-archives.net. 25 February 2023.
Web site: 1991 World Superbike - Manufacturers Championship - Points Standings. superbike-archives.net. 25 February 2023.