Superbike racing
Superbike racing is a category of motorcycle racing that employs modified production motorcycles. Superbike World Championship is the international superbike championship, and national superbike championships are held in many countries as well, including the United Kingdom, the United States, Japan, and Canada.
Superbike racing is very popular with manufacturers, since it helps
promote and sell their product, as captured by the slogan "Win on
Sunday; Sell on Monday".
Characteristics of Superbike racing motorcycles
Superbike racing motorcycles are derived from standard production
models, so for a bike to be eligible, the manufacturer must first homologate
the model and manufacture the required number of roadgoing machines.
While rules vary from series to series, in general the motorcycles must
maintain the same profile as their roadgoing counterparts, with the same
overall appearance as seen from the front, rear and sides. In addition,
the frame cannot be modified. Teams may modify some elements of the
bike, including the suspensions, brakes, swingarm, and the diameter and
size of the wheels.
Superbike racing motorcycles must have four-stroke engines of between 850 cc and 1200 cc for twins, and between 750 cc and 1000 cc for four cylinder machines.
The restriction to production models distinguishes Superbike racing from MotoGP
racing, which uses prototype machines that bear little resemblance to
production machines. This is somewhat similar to the distinction in car
racing between touring cars and Formula One cars, though the performance gap between Superbike and MotoGP racing is much smaller.
The worlds first 'Superbike' was built by brothers Ross and Ralph
Hannan in the mid/late 1970s. First ridden successfully in Australia and
overseas, including the Suzuka 8 hour and the Bol d'Or 24 hour
endurance races, by Graeme Crosby who went onto International success
and was eventually inducted into the NZ sports "Hall of Fame".
Superbike World Championship
James Toseland (1) on a Ducati leads Chris Walker (9) on a Kawasaki and Yukio Kagayama (71) on a Suzuki during a 2005 Superbike World Championship race
Main article: Superbike World Championship
Superbike World Championship (also known as SBK) is the premier
international superbike Championship. The championship was founded in
1988. It is regulated by the FIM and managed and promoted by FGSport.
Once regarded as the poor cousin to the more glamorous MotoGP
championship, the Superbike World Championship has grown into a
world-class professional racing series. Many of the riders that competed
in SBK over the years are household names among motorcycle racing fans.
The most successful rider thus far has been England’s Carl Fogarty, who won the championship four times (1994–95, 1998–99). Ducati has been the most successful manufacturer in the series over the years, accumulating 15 manufacturer championships. Honda has won it 4 times, with Suzuki claiming one championship. Australia's Troy Bayliss won the 2006 and 2008 titles riding for Xerox Ducati and James Toseland, from the UK, was the winner of the 2007 championship riding for Hannspree Ten Kate Honda.
National Superbike series
National Superbike series vary greatly in challenge and popularity,
the most popular being in Britain and North America. Both Japan and
Australia have well supported national superbikes series, though they
only run for short, 10-race seasons.
British Superbike Championship
Main article: British Superbike Championship
The British Superbike championship (known to most as "BSB") is the leading motorcycle racing
championship in the United Kingdom. It is managed and organised by
MCRCB-Events. The commercial and television rights have been delegated
to MotorSport Vision. Ducati, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha all have well supported teams, while Honda has the only HRC supported superbike team outside of Japan. Japanese rider Ryuichi Kiyonari won the 2006, 2007 and 2010 titles riding for HM Plant Honda.
AMA Superbike Championship
Main article: AMA Superbike Championship
The AMA Superbike is the premier superbike racing series in the United States. It is part of the AMA Pro Racing series, and was managed by the AMA
until 2009 when the AMA sold the series to the Daytona MotorSports
Group. Originally launched in 1976, it is now the longest running
superbike championship. The series allows more engine modifications than
most Superbike championships. Australian Mat Mladin has dominated the AMA Superbike championship in recent years winning 6 titles since 1999. 2006 MotoGP champion American Nicky Hayden won the 2002 championship. Texan Ben Spies won the 2008 championship riding for the Yoshimura Suzuki team, before moving on to the World Championship to ride for Yamaha.
All Japan Superbike Championship
Main article: All Japan Road Race Championship
The All Japan Road Race Championship, also known as MFJ Superbike is the premiere motorcycle road racing championship in Japan and is run by MFJ.
The championship started in 1967 and has been running a superbike class
since 1994. The series runs a small 7 round schedule but has a large
field of Japanese riders and bikes. Atsushi Watanabe won the 2007
championship riding a Yoshimura Suzuki.
Parts Canada Superbike Championship
The Parts Canada Superbike Championship is the Canadian national
Superbike series. The series runs from May to September and consists of
six to eight rounds per season. Riders from the Canadian series often
compete in AMA Superbike during the Canadian off-season. Jordan Szoke won his 4th consecutive title in 2009, riding for the Canadian Kawasaki Factory Road Race Team.