2024 World Superbike - Round 2 - Catalunya

JFM01 said:

It's a bummer for sure. I've compared Sachsenring and Most ticket prices and SBK tickets are like a fifth of MotoGP tickets while the racing action isn't any worse.
They need to go to more non-GP tracks and do two or three more overseas rounds. This year's schedule is kinda dull.

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They did add Cremona and Balaton Park to the schedule this year. These might not be world-class venues for motorcycle racing, but they are differentiating the calendar and adding intrigue. Unfortunately, they did step back by swapping Estoril for Portimao. They are also racing 3 times in Spain this year, including back to back rounds. The lingering issue is that SBK still doesn't have a round in Germany or the United States.

It's always 1.5 steps forward and 1.25 steps back with Dorna at the helm. The manufacturers aren't helping their cause by running 1000cc 4-cylinder bikes that will be outlawed in the near future by EU emissions regulations--the championship holds 11 of 12 rounds in Europe. The other weird thing is that production bike racing costs a fraction of GP, yet they can't seem to run more than 12 events per year. They race 3 times per weekend, but I don't think the mileages are that much different than GP.

It will be interesting to see where the sport goes. They don't seem to have much of a plan, and they are very slow to implement. Maybe they are just going to ride this formula into the sunset, and GP will be it. No idea.

JFM01 said:

I'd argue they took several steps back this year.
Before the season I didn't know the track existed, it didn't even have a Wikipedia article.
It looks like completely flat track with a layout like a karting track and they dumped an iconic and unique track (Imola) for it.
Balaton Park looks decent but apparently it's still subject to homologation and if they run that track, MotoGP will likely end up there as well. 7 of the 12 tracks on the schedule are GP tracks, not counting the venue in Hungary.
They definitely need more variety.

As I have admitted repeatedly I know nothing about street bikes and can't say anything about the market relevance of the Superbike segment.
Fossil fuels might go away but I'm pretty ICE powered cars and bikes won't.

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The overhead shots of Cremona show that it's right next to a rural road. It seems to be a glorified club track, without any facilities. It's definitely not a suitable replacement for Imola, though I'm glad DWO is trying something new. If the racing is good.....

MotoGP is supposedly racing at the Hungaroring (some day), but we'll see. Balaton Park is WSBK-only, in theory.

No doubt they need to improve the calendar. No events in Germany, Japan or the US is shocking. The bike architecture could be limiting potential hosts for WSBK. Thirty years ago, Superbikes made about 150hp. Today that make at least 200hp at the wheel. With modern tires, it's difficult to contain that sort of performance.

JFM01 said:

Balaton Park is MotoGP'svofficial reserve track in case Kazakhstan is cancelled again.
The Hungaroring is supposed to join the calendar by 2025 but they'll have to make massive upgrades to that track, the runoffs are almost all paved right now.
Idk why they built a new state-of-the-art track in Hungary only to race on the old one instead but hey, it ain't my money and Balaton is the first new permanent track in Europe in over a decade.

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I'm skeptical as well, but I'm also skeptical of using Balaton Park as a reserve GP venue. But you are correct, the reserve relationship starts this year. I thought it was reserve in 2025, in case something goes wrong.

We'll see if MotoGP and SBK continue to overlap. I sometimes wonder if SBK is destined for the chopping block anyway. The GSXR-1000 is gone. The R1 will be gone soon. They will be racing bikes at European venues that aren't even for sale in Europe? Doesn't seem like a tenable long-term scenario.