Heart, engineering, and results: the story of the Ghelfi Art Honda team in the Superbike World Championship

Ghelfi Art Honda was a constant and qualified presence in the Superbike World Championship around the late 1990s and early 2000s. It lived through SBK’s golden era, the one with battles between Fogarty, Bayliss, Edwards, and Corser.

The Ghelfi Team perfectly embodied the spirit of Italian privateer teams capable of challenging the official giants, thanks to great mechanical expertise and the passion of Learco Ghelfi, a historic figure in Italian motorcycling. It later returned to the international scene together with Vamag, giving life to the Factory-Vamag Team.

At the helm of the Lombard Superbike squad was Learco Ghelfi, a skilled technician remembered for his meticulousness. He has always been considered a “wizard” of mechanics, able to extract power and reliability from very complex engines. His organization didn’t just run the bikes; it developed their components. “Art” was a division dedicated to design and construction.

The team is best known for fielding the legendary Honda VTR1000 SP, the twin-cylinder created to counter Ducati’s dominance. In those years, Team Ghelfi often operated as a high-profile “satellite” structure, receiving technical support and working closely with the manufacturer.

Over the years, several notable riders flew the team’s colors. Among them the Spaniard Javier Rodriguez, who raced with them in 2000 and 2001. Previously, Alessandro Antonello also stood out with Ghelfi Art Honda, one of the fastest Italian riders of that period: he achieved excellent results especially at the national level. Not to forget Juan Borja who, after racing in the 500cc World Championship, did not hesitate to compete for the Italian squad.

Ghelfi Art Honda, despite being a satellite team, consistently managed to fight for points and often cracked the top 10. Javier Rodriguez, in particular, finished several races right behind the factory riders.

On the national stage, the team was even more incisive. Alessandro Antonello consistently battled for the title and podium positions, demonstrating that Learco Ghelfi’s preparation of Honda twin-cylinders had nothing to envy from the official racing departments. In 2006, the “L.M. Superbike by Learco Ghelfi” team fielded two stunning Mondial Piega machines at the national level—sensational bikes but without luck.

Later, the Lombard engine wizard continued to be a point of reference in the paddock with the MV Agusta F3 675 in the Supersport World Championship. The Factory Vamag Team then carried forward an important project for years with riders such as Roberto Rolfo, Lorenzo Zanetti, Raffaele De Rosa...

Ghelfi’s Factory team also competed in the CIV, again with MV Agusta.