WorldSBK – Win on Sunday. Sell on Monday.
That was the early mantra for the Superbike World Championship. Born in 1988, the series was a production based world championship that offered a level playing field for teams and riders to compete with one another.
At the time the series began it was met with lots of scepticism, with many questioning the viability of a series based on road going bikes. Despite the success of Superbike racing in the United States and the ongoing Formula TT World Championship, it was generally thought that WorldSBK would be a flash in the pan series.
That it has lasted for over 800 races shows the strength of the ideas behind the series, and also the level of support it garners from fans and manufacturers.
Want to be able to prove your latest and greatest road bike? There’s no better way than to dominate on the race tracks. Superbike racing allows you to buy a road bike, make some modifications and go racing on the world stage. The bike will need to be tuned but the DNA is the same from roads to race track. That’s the strength of Superbike racing.
WorldSBK News
Paddock Pass Podcast Episode 161: Steve & Neil Talk Teruel WorldSBK
In the latest episode of the Paddock Pass Podcast, Steve English and Neil Morrison get together to take a long look back at the second WorldSBK at Aragon last weekend, and a short look ahead to MotoGP at Misano. They start off with a discussion of what happened at the...
WorldSBK: Rea came out swinging in Race 2
Jonathan Rea just keeps ticking boxes in his title defence. Another weekend and another victory but crucially also another three podium finishes. Consistency wins championships and in the history of the Superbike World Championship he has no equal in this regard....
WorldSBK: Unlocking your full potential
In racing no stone is left unturned. The bikes are tuned to perfection. Development takes place for months behind closed doors. Wind tunnels, fluid dynamic testing, analysis of data and tyre modelling are all key components in getting the most out of the motorcycle....
WorldSBK: Joining the dots at Aragon
Chaz Davies is the most successful rider at Motorland Aragon. The Welshman has dominated at the Spanish circuit in the past and claimed seven wins. He sat down to talk about the naunces of this 5.1 km circuit. At one point the Kingdom of Aragon was one of the Europe's...
WorldSBK: Gordon Ritchie – Racing In The Time Of Covid
Sometimes your luck is in - and out - at the same time. I greeted the news that I really could go to the restart of the Covid-interrupted 2020 season to ply my normal freelance journalist trade by snatcing the chance with both my QWERTY deprived hands. Then the...
Tech Corner: Finding the right balance
WorldSBK is all about variety. With a production based series the compromises of the road are felt on the track. The balance of power can shift quickly with a “game changing” bike. Last year this happened with the Ducati V4R, which was a radical departure from what...
Paddock Pass Podcast Episode 157: Reviewing MotoGP At Brno And WorldSBK At Portimao
This week's episode of the Paddock Pass Podcast is something of a bumper episode, with racing happening both in the Czech Republic and in Portugal, but fortunately, the Paddock Pass Podcast crew have both MotoGP and WorldSBK covered. Neil Morrison and David...
WorldSBK: Rea reasserts himself in Portugal
Jonathan Rea joked before the start of the weekend that he’d sprint naked down the streets of Portimao if he won all three races. After dominating the weekend in Portugal it would have been more surprising if he hadn’t left with a perfect weekend. The Northern...
WorldSBK: Highs and lows with Ten Kate
Motorcycle racing is filled with highs and lows. When a rider is winning races everything is easy. When the tide turns, it can become hard to see signs of encouragement. For the Ten Kate Racing Yamaha squad, this was certainly the case in late 2018 when their world...
WorldSBK: Portimao – A happy hunting ground for Rea
Sunday November 2nd 2008, was a landmark date in WorldSBK history. It was on this day that the FIM Superbike World Championship first raced at the thrilling Algarve circuit. It was also the debut for a rider that would go on to rewrite the record books. Jonathan Rea...
WorldSBK Gallery: Catalan Test Day 2
Almost the full WorldSBK grid has decamped to Spain for a final two day test before the season restarts in Jerez at the end of the month. All of the factory squads are present as well as a host of independant teams. In addition the likes of Michael Ruben Rinaldi, so...
This Week's Top Racing Lowdown Stories
WorldSBK: Gutting it out – How a rider gets through the pain barrier
In motorcycle racing crashes will happen. These might be the best riders in the world but sometimes they'll step off the tightrope of the limit and suffer the consequences. Injuries are a fact of life in racing and every rider is always carrying a knock. They suffer...
MotoGP: David Emmett – What’s changed for Jerez Part 2?
Throughout the 2020 season David Emmett, editor of Motomatters.com, will be providing Racing Lowdown with some exclusive analysis of what he sees in MotoGP. This will take the form of the topics that David is most interested in before and after every Grand Prix. Four...
MotoGP: Polarity Photo shoots the Spanish Grand Prix
The return of MotoGP has been long awaited and our man on the ground, Polarity Photo's Rob Gray, was busy at work at Jerez. As usual his stunning artwork has been worth the weight! Here's some of Rob's best work from Jerez and if you like what you see be sure to...
