Niccolo Canepa
Niccolo Canepa made a name for himself in 2007 by winning the European Superstock 1000 Championship on a Ducati. Born in Genoa on 14 May 1988, the Italian was offered a place as a test rider for the Borgo Panigale based manufacturer's MotoGP and WSBK programmes.
With this experience behind him, Niccolo was then integrated into the Pramac team to make his Grand Prix debut. Unfortunately, on a Desmosedici that wasn't yet the scarecrow it is today, the Ligurian was unable to make his mark. In 2010 he tried his hand in the brand new Moto2 class with the RSM Scott team, but once again failed to make an impact.
After a brief stint in WSBK and a return to Superstock 1000, where he fought for the title with Sylvain Barrier, Niccolo Canepa finally found his way into the EWC with Christophe Guyot's Yamaha GMT 94 team.
In 2017 he became the first Italian World Endurance Champion. Recruited by Mandy Kainz's YART when GMT 94 withdrew from the World Endurance Championship, the Italian won another title in 2023, this time in partnership with Marvin Fritz and Karel Hanika.
In the meantime Niccolo has also taken part in a number of WSBK events on a wildcard basis, as well as competing in the MotoE World Cup with the LCR team. This year he returns to the EWC with the same team-mates and the ambition to keep the number 1 plate with YART.