The main story of 1996 was the controversy over its finale. All season Andreas Meklau had won every race he started on his World Superbike-spec Ducati, but Karl Truchsess was present for every race and scored consistently enough to have a shot at the title. It looked certain he would take a third consecutive championship when at the final round Meklau failed to complete the minimum number of qualifying laps to grant him a place on the grid. After much discussion between the Promotor Ducati team and an appeal to the organisers Meklau was granted permission to start from the back of the grid, but he would score no points towards the Austrian or Czech championships. At least, that was the belief on race day. Truchsess rode carefully in tricky conditions to ensure two points-scoring finishes, while Meklau, with nothing to lose, stormed through the field to set two fastest laps and beat Truchsess both times. Only later was it revealed that Meklau's results would count towards the Austrian championship, putting him 13 points clear of Truchsess in the standings. Naturally Truchsess protested the decision but his appeal was denied, and in response he took Meklau and the governing body to court in an attempt to claim the prize money and the title he felt he deserved. 18 months later this too ended in Meklau's favour, and Truchsess even put his racing career on hold until 1999.