With the nocturnal race held in Qatar, the 2015 World Superbike season became history. The season was dominated by Jonathan Rea and the Kawasaki Racing Team, winners of 14 and 18 seasonal races respectively, both using Brembo brakes and Marchesini wheels. The Northern Irishman had staked a claim to the title by winning 8 out of the first 10 competitions and then was satisfied with managing the margin.
Rea ended the year with 14 victories and placed second 7 times, third twice, and fourth twice. However, withdrawing from the last race cost him the point record. The Kawasaki rider ended up with 548 points, just four points behind the record set in 2002 by Colin Edwards with Honda. The American finished the championship with a winning streak of 9 consecutive victories and a position on the podium in 25 out of 26 races.
The one that never stopped winning this year, even when Kawasaki ceased to be invincible, was Brembo. The Ducati bikes on the Aruba.it Racing team won five races, and the Aprilia bikes on the Red Devils Roma team took first place in three competitions; all were equipped with Brembo braking systems. So, Brembo won big: 26 victories in 26 races.
As if that wasn't enough, all of the bikes that came in second place in the 26 races used Brembo: Kawasaki took second 13 times, Ducati 10 and Aprilia 3.
The only flaw, if it can be called that, was that Brembo obtained "just" 22 third places: 7 with Kawasaki, 7 with Ducati, 7 with Aprilia and one with Voltcom Crescent Suzuki.
In World Superbike, the motorcycles equipped with Brembo brakes usually use steel brake discs (a rule from 1995 prohibits the use of carbon) that are 336 mm in diameter and 6.5 mm thick.
On the toughest circuits though, they opt for 7.1 mm-thick discs. For the brake calipers, Brembo makes a model expressly for the Superbike Championship, while for the pads, the teams tend to choose Brembo Z04 brake pads, which are also available for street use.
To complete Brembo's success in Superbike, the Kawasaki team chose Marchesini wheels in forged magnesium because they give maximum rigidity to the hub-rim connection, an even distribution of radial load along the circumference of the rim and an overall lightweight structure.
The Marchesini brand is the Brembo Group company that specialises in manufacturing sophisticated wheels in forged magnesium, a product that has received multiple accolades in both Superbike and MotoGP.
Brembo has been present in Superbike since its debut season in 1988. That was the year Fred Merkel, riding for the Rumi team, earned the title of World Champion with the Honda RC30 equipped with Brembo brakes. At the front of the bike, he had a double 310 mm disc and at the rear, a single 220 mm disc.
In the history of Superbike, Brembo has been awarded 24 World Championships out of the 28 editions challenged up to today, leaving only 4 titles on the field.
Final standings for the 2015 World Superbike Championship
1. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki) 548 points – Brembo brakes and Marchesini wheels
2. Chaz Davies (Ducati) 416 points – Brembo brakes
3. Tom Sykes (Kawasaki) 399 points – Brembo brakes and Marchesini wheels
4. Leon Haslam (Aprilia) 332 points – Brembo brakes and Marchesini wheels
5. Jordi Torres (Aprilia) 247 points – Brembo brakes and Marchesini wheels
6. Sylvain Guintoli (Honda) 218 points - Marchesini wheels
7. Michael Van der Mark (Honda) 194 points - Marchesini wheels
8. Leandro Mercedo (Ducati) 142 points – Brembo brakes
9. Matteo Baiocco (Ducati) 139 points – Brembo brakes
10. Alex Lowes (Suzuki) 135 points – Brembo brakes
