The British Superbike Championship is recognised as the world’s premier domestic motorcycle racing championship, producing breathtaking elbow-to-elbow action on production-based motorcycles.
Superbikes are race machines developed from production road-going, litre-class sportsbikes of between 1000-1200cc. Stripped of headlights, road-bodywork and indicators, the machines are lightened, strengthened and fitted with improved tyres, suspension and engine parts until they are capable of more than 200 brake horsepower and 200mph!
Since its high-profile re-launch in 1996, the British Superbike Championship has revitalised motorcycle racing in the UK and has played a key role in the careers of future World Champions including Troy Bayliss, Neil Hodgson, James Toseland and Britain’s new MotoGP rider Cal Crutchlow. The series continues to attract leading motorcycle manufacturer supported teams as well as riders from as far afield as Japan, Australia, USA, Spain and France and, over the years has attracted sponsorship from a constantly growing list of blue-chip companies including HM Plant, Hitachi, Audi, Virgin Mobile, Lloyds, Nokia, Panasonic, Cadbury’s, Red Bull, Vimto, Old Spice, Sony and Samsung. The amount of fans coming through the gates to watch the track action is also increasing, with on average, around 25,000 attending each of 2010’s 12 rounds and a television audience in excess of a 6.5 million over the season.
From 2008, the championship followed the Superbike World Championship in appointing Pirelli as the single control tyre supplier, whereas previously different teams ran with different tyre manufacturers.
2010 marked a number of exciting changes, the first being the replacement of the Privateer’s Cup with a new class – the ‘Evolution’ class – which in its first year proved to be very popular, and the second being new rules and qualifying format to increase the intensity of the racing action and ensure the championship decider was taken to the wire!
Supported by all the main motorcycle manufacturers fielding factory teams, the 2011 season marks the British Superbike Championship’s 24th year. The 2011 series commences on 22 April at Brands Hatch and finishes on 9 October at the same venue, hosting 12 rounds across England and Scotland.
British Eurosport will continue to air the British Superbike series in 2011, as they embark upon the start of a new five-year deal which sees BSB stay with Eurosport until 2015. 2011’s races are all being covered live on British Eurosport, with highlights packages broadcast on both Eurosport 2 and ITV1/ITV4.
BSB Evo
BSB Evo is open to everyone eligible in the series, from official manufacturer-backed teams to privateers. BSB Evo uses motorcycles with close-to-stock engines with a ‘control ECU package’ which eliminates traction control and anti-wheelie electronics. The standard engines are mated to superbike-spec chassis. This new class is part of a trial which could see the entire grid adopt the regulations in coming seasons. The organisers of BSB – MSV – are always looking to the future to ensure the regulations fit with the teams and the current economic climate. Should Evo be adopted across the grid in the future, it will keep costs down to a minimum and may enable more teams and riders to get onto a BSB grid. Meanwhile the prospect of no traction control or limited electronics means that it’s down to the rider to control the bike: resulting in more of a ‘show’ for the fans!
Qualifying
The popular, Formula 1 "knockout" style Roll for Pole remains, but this now just sets the grid for BSB Race 1. All riders first take to the track for Q1 over 20 minutes. The field is then whittled down to 20 riders in Q2 over 12 minutes, and then the final 8 minutes shoot-out for pole position by the top 10 riders in Q3. For the second race, the best lap times in Race 1 set the grid for Race 2. This aims to give a greater reward to riders making a charge through the field, perhaps as a result of a bad qualifying performance or a bad start. Significantly all the riders will be on race rubber, rather than softer tyres that favour certain qualifying specialists. There will also be a ‘Second Chance’ for riders who unfortunately suffer a crash or mechanical failure before the end of the first lap in Race 1. Their bad fortune is not compounded further as the rider can line up for Race 2 in their Race 1 starting grid position plus 8 "penalty places", emphasising the necessity for a good initial qualifying position. As an example, if the rider in pole position for Race 1 crashed on the first lap and was unable to continue, he would start Race 2 from position 9 on the third row of the grid.
Race
The central concept of the 2010/11 rules is that there should be a crescendo of competition towards the end of the championship to minimise the chances of anyone securing the title before the final event of the year. The new format and points scoring system guaranteed that the title went down to the wire in 2010 and it created a thrilling spectacle for television and trackside audiences – best of all HM Plant Honda won the title with a dominant display by Kiyo in the final round of the Championship.
First the Main Season, then ‘The Showdown!'
The championship will be divided into two parts. The first nine events form the Main Season, with the standard points scoring format of 25 for a win, then 20, 16, 13, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 awarded for each of the nineteen races from the nine events.
From their total points at the end of the Main Season, all riders then drop their two worst scores, which must be from events they have at least qualified for.
From this points order, the first six riders in the championship standings will be elevated to a new base level and become the Title Fighters for the final three events and seven races of the championship.
Each ‘Title Fighter’ will start The Showdown with 500 points, plus additional points for each podium position they have obtained in the Main Season; 3 for a win, 2 for a second, and 1 for a third. These are termed Podium Credits. For example, a rider placed in the top six of the standings at the end of the Main Season who scored three wins, two seconds and a third would start The Showdown phase with 514 points. The standard points scoring format from the Main Season then continues for The Showdown, with all points scores from the final seven races counting.
All riders outside of the Title Fighters continue to race for the BSB Riders' Cup, continuing to add to their points total from the end of the Main Season. This also applies to the BSB EVO class. In 2010 the ‘Title Fighters’ system was met with positive feedback all round, as a number of riders had a mathematical chance of winning the title as the season reached its climax at Oulton Park in October.
BSB Triple Headers
At a three race BSB meeting the procedure follows on to the best lap times set in Race 2 establishing the grid for Race 3. Similarly those riders who don't complete a single lap in Race 2 get to start Race 3 in their Race 2 starting position plus 8 "penalty places."
British Superbike Championship Support Races
- British Supersport Championship
- National Superstock 1000 Championship
- National Superstock 600 Championship
- 125 British Championship
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