Get to know the grid: WSBK- Xaus Ruben #111

Rubén Xaus #111

Personal opinion: rids on a new bike in the series, it is obvious there is still a lot of work still needed to be done on it for it to be fully competitive, a specially with Spies in Haga in the front, but he did improve his results from round 1 in Australia in the race in Qatar, so I wish him luck in the rest of the season and hope he will be able to improve even more in the races to come.

Rubén Xaus Vs Norino Brignola Monza 2006

from: http://www.ducati.com/xaus/story1.jhtml

Ruben was born in Barcelona on the 18th February 1978.
His father, who had competed in amateur motorcycle “mountain” races, was probably Ruben’s biggest influence and had Ruben on a 25cc Montesa by the time he was 5 years old! From that day he taught Ruben how to ride and encouraged him to perfect his riding by practicing endlessly on dirt bikes. At the age of 8 he progressed to a KX60 and then by 11 a KX80.

At the age of 14 he was ready for a bigger dirt bike but his father had a different idea: “Let's go road racing.” With his father’s mechanical knowledge and the help of friends, Ruben started his road racing career at 14 years old in the 125 Championship of Catalonia. Hungry for racing experience, he continued into 1993, taking part in the Solo Moto 125 Criterium and winning the 80cc Supermotard Championship of Catalonia. Ruben was ready for big bike action.

In 1994, his first year competing on a large-capacity 4-stroke bike and at high-level competition, he entered the intensely competitive Spanish Open Ducados Supersport Championship and finished a very creditable 17th. Suddenly, he was making a name for himself in Spanish motorcycle sport and in 1995 he finished 3rd in the Ducados Supersport Championship, 12th in the FIM Thunderbike Trophy and had 4 races in the 250 Grand Prix with the Fortuna Pons Team aboard an NSR 250.

Ruben improved on his Thunderbike Trophy result by finishing 6th in the series in ’96 before underlining his talent in the 600cc class with a final placing of 12th in the ’97 World Supersport series. It was also in this year that he had his first major win whilst competing in the 35th Montjuic 24 Hour Race at his home circuit of Catalunya.

Keen to progress into Superbike, Ruben decided to compete in the German Pro-Superbike Championship in 1998 on the Team Alpha Technik Suzuki GSXR 750. The experience he gained by finishing 6th in this highly competitive championship convinced him that he was going in the right direction. Superbike was definitely what he wanted but he wanted it at world level with a Factory Team. The only way to get to there was to be by proving himself in World Supersport first.

In '99 he moved into the World Supersport Championship with the Dee Cee Jeans Team and certainly proved his potential with a fine 5th in the series enjoying, also, his first win at world level at the Misano circuit. His efforts were recognized and rewarded with a place in the Factory Ducati Infostrada Team for the 2000 World Supersport Championship. Ruben would now have new pressures to deal with: the enviable pressure of being a "Factory Rider" with a major manufacturer. If he was under pressure, he didn't let it show! He soon adapted to the Ducati 748 and finished 7th in the world as well as chalking up his 2nd win at this level in a fantastic race at the Assen circuit in Holland. Once again recognised for his "Foggy"-like focus, determination, and a race maturity beyond his years, his initial goal was about to be achieved: to compete in the World Superbike Championship as a "Factory Rider".

In 2001, Ruben lined up against the world's best aboard the Team Ducati Infostrada 996R and picked up where he left off in World Supersport in 2000 - building on his experiences and gradually improving his standings. Through the middle of the year, Ruben had mostly top 10 finishes...and a handful of crashes. The signs were there, however: Ruben was testing his limits and when he didn't end up on the ground, he was being rewarded with solid results.

The turnaround came in race 1 at Oschersleben. Ruben achieved his first finish on the podium as a World Superbike rider by finishing second to world champion, Colin Edwards. In race 2 of the same day, he reversed that result to become the first-ever Spanish rider to score a victory in World Superbike. From that race forward, he finished every race of the remaining season on the podium. Everything had come together: the crew, the bike, the tyres, and most importantly: Ruben's confidence and skill.
Nobody in World Superbike wanted the 2002 season to start more than Ruben did... with the exception, maybe, of all his fans!

In 2002, Ruben continued with Team Ducati Infostrada aboard the 998F02. In the second race of the season at Phillip Island, Ruben podiumed twice; it was a great start in which he'd find himself stepping up to the podium an incredible 10 times during the season. Not even the race retirements scattered throughout the season could reduce his confidence in himself or his machine. Except for the retirements, Ruben always finished inside the top 10.

One of the most memorable races in SBK history was also the finale for 2002, a race in which Troy Bayliss and Colin Edwards battled for the number 1 plate. Ruben ran with the two champions and did his best to help his teammate, but was ultimately unable to affect the outcome. Still, his fighting spirit shone through as he finished third in both hotly contested races.

2003 was to be Ruben's third full year as a World Superbike rider but this time it would be on a brand new model, the Ducati 999. The beautiful new Team Ducati Fila machine was to serve him well as he continued to be an official factory rider.