Régis Laconi is one of those rare riders to have won in both Grand Prix and World Superbike racing, and he remains competitive almost a decade into his top flight career. Although he can be relied upon to go particularly well at the Valência and Phillip Island circuits, he is no slouch elsewhere. With the best Superbike available to him this year, he is many people’s tip for a World title at last
1991
Débuted in the French 125cc championship
1992
French 125cc Champion; Yamaha TZR Cup Champion; World Championship 125cc début
Raced the number 75 Team-JMC Honda in the French GP, finishing 26th
1993
6th in French 250cc championship; 10th in European 250cc championship - both with team Vitesse
1994
French 250cc Champion; European 250cc Champion
1995 Equipe de France GP, number 55 Honda
Laconi graduated to a full-time 250cc GP ride in 1995, scoring four points from his three best finishes, and ending up 27th in the final table
Also finished 2nd in the French 250cc championship
1996 Tecmas Racing Team, number 55 Honda
Progress was made as he broke into the top ten four times, with best results of eighth in Germany and seventh in Britain. 43 points amounted to fifteenth overall
1997 Tecmas Honda Elf, number 55 Honda
For 1997, Régis moved in the 500cc ranks on a Honda twin. Due to a mid-season injury, after crashing in Austria, he only raced eleven times, but he scored in eight rounds and took fourteenth overall. 52 points scored included seventh in the Czech Republic and fifth in the season-closing Australian race
1998 Red Bull Yamaha WCM, number 55 Yamaha
Moving to Yamaha, 1998 was his best season to date, with a front row start in Germany, where he finished fifth, and another eight top ten results. 86 points gave him a career best tenth in the final GP rankings
1999 Red Bull Yamaha WCM, number 55 Yamaha
Better was to follow in 1999, although he ended the season a place lower in the points table - albeit just twelve behind the eighth-placed man. His best race was in Valência, where he started from pole and won the race in front of Suzuki’s Kenny Roberts. Regular finishes, including another podium in Australia, meant he scored 103 points
Also finished fourth in the Suzuka 8 Hours, with Noriyuki Haga; finished sixth in a Japanese Superbike race at Suzuka, with a Yamaha R7
2000 Red Bull Yamaha WCM, number 55 Yamaha
Laconi scored in every race of the 2000 season, but could not improve on fifth in Portugal and sixth in Valência. The same two races were won by team-mate Garry McCoy. Although he qualified third in Australia, and led the race, his overall performances amounted to only twelfth in the championship, with 106 points being 55 less than McCoy
2001 Aprilia Axo Team, number 55 Aprilia
Out of GP racing, Régis found a new home in World Superbikes. Immediately on the pace, he finished fourth in the first race, and was regularly within the top eight. His best performances came in the last round at Imola, where he led in the first race, until being taken out by Troy Bayliss, and was the victor in race two. A score of 152 put him eleventh overall
2002 MS Aprilia Racing, number 55 Aprilia
Laconi’s reward for 2001 was a move back to GPs with the new four-stroke Aprilia ‘Cube’, complete with F1 engine technology from Ford Cosworth. The racing season effectively doubled as a development programme, but despite this the Frenchman qualified as high as fifth in Italy, where he ran seventh in the race. However, the bike was a handful, and two eighth places were the best he could manage. 33 points put him joint nineteenth in the table
2003 Team Caracchi NCR Nortel Networks, number 55 Ducati
Replaced at Aprilia, Régis returned to WSB in 2003, piloting a customer Ducati 998 RS. In what would prove his best season of international racing to date, he qualified in the top six at all venues bar one, and was on pole at Sugo. With the works 999s way ahead, Laconi still managed three second places and two thirds. Overall, he finished in the top six on eighteen occasions, only missing third overall with tyre problems in the very last race. With two fastest laps, he scored 267 points in total
2004 Ducati Fila, number 55 Ducati
For this season, Régis moves to the Ducati works team, with the new 999 F04. Given his experience there is every chance that this could be a ticket to the WSB title, although he will have to beat young team-mate James Toseland to do it
