New Direction for World Superbike?

World Superbike has been shaken up recently. In Superbike, Yamaha announced the R1 will be discontinued in Europe, though all world championship rounds, except one, take place in Europe. A few weeks later, Kawasaki announced that Bimota would take over its Superbike activities. Yamaha claim Bimota have more brand pricing power, and can better monetize superbike products. Kawasaki owns 49% of Bimota, and Kawasaki will supply the powertrains. In Supersport, KTM removed the shroud from it's new 990 RC R middleweight, and Kervin Bos of TenKate Racing claimed that the Yamaha R9 would replace the Yamaha R6 for the 2025 World Supersport season.

These are curious developments. Here's what I think could be in the works:

1. Track-only bikes and reduced homologation quantity. If Yamaha can race a track-only machine, the FIM is at least amenable to track-only bikes in WSBK. Furthermore, Bimota is a boutique low-volume manufacturer, to whom Kawasaki will provide a team of people who can build a race chassis. The winds of change are blowing towards rare, track-focused products. Road-going superbikes will endure, but will EU regs eventually shut down the 200hp road-going bikes of today?

2. Next-Generation Superbike. When Kawasaki hand the keys to Bimota, none of Kawasaki's travails in the production market will disappear. Team Green will still be supplying Bimota with engines, and those engines are still not certified for future EU emissions. The next-gen supersport rules make it easier to achieve emissions compliance because the manufacturer can choose the displacement and architecture of the engine. Next-Gen supersport rules and EU emissions regulations are pushing Superbike towards adopting next-gen rules, as well. Maybe for 2028?

3. Horsepower limits for homologation. The issue with Next Gen is that the production segments don't have distinct identity and the displacement restrictions are moving goal posts. Why not allow someone to homologate a superbike into the Supersport class, if it ensures their participation? The power on the track will be limited by the tech regs, but the superbike will enjoy a 50hp advantage in the showroom. The latest arrivals to the next-gen paddock will both have roughly 125bhp. I wouldn't be surprised if they are targeting 100kw for Supersport homologation. Next-Gen Superbike, depending on it's format would be 125kw-150kw.

4. Supersport looks poised to be the production sales leader. Despite slumping sales for nearly a generation, the horsepower threshold and open engine architecture rules in SSP make it easier to achieve emissions compliance and share engines across a product line. Superior cost efficiency and road-relevant performance (perhaps) is enticing manufacturers into Supersport.

5. Less factory involvement. The purpose of BoP is to allow the sale of racing components, which, in theory, reduces the influence of the manufacturers. The current rules, even the Next Gen Supersport rules still require manufacturer involvement from assembly line to the paddock. In the future, they will become marketing umbrellas and exert less influence at the track. They will sell completed race bikes to the teams.

6. MV Agusta will joint superbike. Just a hunch. KTM will take over supersport, and MV will be moved into Superbike.

Sennas_Caress said:

Interesting thoughts.

Motorcycle racing is about to be shaken up by both new environmental regulations, marked dynamics and the aquisition of Dorna.

I hope that WSBK, with all its categories, could become less reliant on factory support and development.

Click to expand...

We'll see what happens. The current SBK's will not clear upcoming Euro emissions, imo, without significant detuning or without inordinate engine development spending on advanced variable valve timing. Neither of those solutions are good for business. If superbike horsepower is too high in stock trim to permit emissions homologation, things will get interesting. If GP and SBK are not folded into a single series at that time, SBK will exist only for sales of race bikes. If the goal is to sell race bikes, subjecting privateer teams to factory involvement is not ideal.

I hope the series stay separate and distinct, but that will depend on the manufacturers providing each series with a reason for existence, and they need to find a way to rebuild the national SBK series with sponsor money.