Robertino Pietri won his first Venezuelan Superbike Championship the hard way at Turagua Sunday, crashing out of the lead on the fourth lap and cartwheeling his GSX-R1000 through the grass, then picking up his smashed bike and charging back to take third place and the title without an upper fairing or right footpeg. Pietri holeshot the race, leading Cesar Tellez and defending Venezuelan Superbike Champion Fernando Amantini for three laps and turning the fastest lap of the race on lap three, a 1:04.683. Pietri then lost the front in turn two, crashing spectacularly end-over-end. He picked up and refired the damaged machine and passed Franklin Reveron for third on lap 15 of 18; Pietri’s finish behind Amantini and Tellez was enough to secure the title. Pietri won the first three races in the six-race championship series, held at Turagua and San Carlos. Armando Ferrer ran away with the 600cc Supersport race to win the Venezuelan Supersport Championship on his Kawasaki ZX-6RR, beating Juan Carlos Lavado who led the title chase going into this final weekend of the series. The win gave Ferrer his third race victory in the series. Pietri and Ferrer both ran on Pirelli tires, with Amantini, Tellez and Lavado on Dunlop tires. Pietri, Amantini and Ferrer all ran in the 2006 AMA Superbike Series, Pietri and Amantini racing in the Superstock class with Ferrer racing in the Supersport and Formula Xtreme classes. Robertino Pietri’s father, Roberto Pietri, competed in the AMA Series in the 1970s and 1980s.