Superbike racing
Superbike racing is a category of motorcycle road racing that employs modified production motorcycles, in the same manner that Touring car racing employs production cars. Many countries such as the USA, the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada operate national superbike championships, and a World Superbike championship has run since 1988.
Overview
Superbike motorcycles are generally 1000 cc four-stroke machines with either two or four cylinders. 900 cc triples are also permitted, but so far only Benelli and Foggy Petronas have fielded them in World Superbike competition, with limited success.
2005 FIM regulations state that the minimum weight of motorcycles in the Superbike World Championship is 165 kg (363.8 lb). After a race, each motorcycle must weigh at least 163.5 kg (360.5 lb).
The Superbike versions of the Honda CBR 1000RR, Suzuki GSX-R1000 K5, and Yamaha YZF-R1 are all capable of generating more than 200 horsepower (150 kW). The Ducati 999F05 can generate 194 horsepower (145 kW).
The Superbike category is highly popular with manufacturers. Because the race bikes are built from production road bikes, the marketing value of a Superbike victory is significant. A common motorsport expression is "Race on Sunday, sell on Monday."
The rules concerning how extensively the machine can be modified differ considerably in the various competitions. The AMA Superbike series allows for substantial modification of the machine, including modifying elements of the engine block. In contrast, World Superbike is considerably more strict and since 2004 this series has also featured a control Pirelli tyre. Until then it was common for riders form domestic championships to enter their country's race as a wildcard - Makoto Tamada and Shane Byrne are among the many riders to beat the regulars in these one-off races, and both went on to greater success.
During the early 1990s World Superbike racing was generally regarded as a poor cousin to the more glamorous MotoGP championship. However since the latter 1990s its profile has improved considerably, despite considerable changes to the format and the domination of the event by Ducati. Since the introduction of the control tyre in 2004 the lap times have slowed, yet the quality of racing has improved and viewership has increased.
In 2005 motorcycles from all of the major Japanese manufacturers (Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha) were entered in the World Superbike Championship, as were machines from Ducati and Petronas. Top riders include 2004 champion James Toseland and team-mate Regis Laconi, 1996 champion Troy Corser and his team-mate Yukio Kagayama, fan favourite Noriyuki Haga, ex-GP riders Norick Abe, Garry McCoy, Andrew Pitt and Pierfrancesco Chili, and promising youngsters such as Chris Vermeulen.
Links
- World Superbike Championship official site
- AMA Superbike official site
- Australian Superbike official site
- British Superbike official site
- Parts Canada Superbike Championship official site
- Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme Superbike World Championship Regulations
Related topics
There is a variant of the concept called SuperSport which involves 600cc fours or 750cc twins and generally more restricted modifications.
The most accomplished World Superbike racer is Carl Fogarty of the United Kingdom, who won numerous championships in the 1990s. Mat Mladin of Australia has dominated the AMA Superbike championship since 1999.