When the Superbike World Championship began in , he was one of its first entrants, finishing as championship runner-up in  and , and in the top five four other times. He won 10 races and took 37 further podium finishes.
In the inaugural year of the Superbike World Championship, he became one of its founding members, placing second in the championship standings in  and , and finishing in the top five on four other occasions. He secured ten victories and accumulated thirty-seven more podium placements.