Late Luca Salvadori Crowned Champion Of The National Trophy 1000 In Heartwarming Gesture

The final day of racing at Imola saw the late Luca Salvadori posthumously crowned the 2024 National Trophy 1000 Champion.

Apr 14, 2024; Austin, TX, USA; A view of the fans in the Ducati pavilion during the MotoGP Grand Prix of The Americas at Circuit of The Americas. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The final day of racing at Imola saw the late Luca Salvadori posthumously crowned the 2024 National Trophy 1000 Champion, clinching the title with one round still to go. This victory was sealed following Filippo Rovelli and the Pistard team's decision to withdraw from the final two rounds of the championship.

The motorsport community mourned the tragic death of former MotoE rider Luca, who lost his life during the final round of the International Road Racing Championship (IRRC) in Germany on 14th September. Luca sustained fatal injuries in a multi-rider incident during the SBK/STK 1000 race.

The accident occurred at the conclusion of the first lap when German rider Didier Grams lost control on a high-speed corner, leading to a chain-reaction crash that involved Luca. Despite the swift response of emergency services and his immediate transport to the hospital, Luca sadly succumbed to his injuries.

In honor of the late Italian rider, the rival Pistard team chose to forgo the championship title to declare Luca as the champion. As a result, the team, along with its National Trophy 1000 rider, Filippo Rovelli, decided to withdraw from the remaining rounds to ensure that Luca received this recognition.

As reported by Crash.net, Pistard team founder Gianluca Galesi Milella had shared his decision to pull out of the last two races on social media. He stated:

“Our direct rival as a team for four years, with [Roberto] Tamburini, [Gabriele] Giannini, and this year with Filippo Rovelli, has died.

“Luca was a great guy, good, sweet, nice, sunny. Those like me who had the pleasure and good fortune to meet him in person know who Luca was.

“The last time I saw him we also talked about this race he was supposed to run in Germany, he was undecided whether to go to save the bike. Instead he went and never came back.

“With Filippo Rovelli we talked about whether or not to go to Imola.

“We will not be present in either Imola or Cervesina to hold the races. We will only be present there to pay our respects to Luca.

“With this gesture we want to make sure that Luca, even though he is gone, from up there can celebrate the National Trophy 1000 title, which he had been chasing for so many years and came close to.

“This year that he could have won it because he had four wins out of six, unfortunately he will not be able to celebrate it.

“The only way for us to say goodbye to him is to not participate in the last two races so that he can win the title.” 

According to Ruetir.com, the National Trophy has permanently retired Luca's number 23 from the trophy during the pre-race ceremony of the fifth round of the 1000 class championship. This poignant gesture is part of the several initiatives organized by the National Trophy to pay tribute to him in Frohburg over the weekend. A celebration of Luca's title is expected during the final round of the championship, scheduled for October 12 and 13 in Cervesina.