US Superbike Classes

[BobbyC]

Daytona Motorsport Group and the AMA are working on a new series of classes for the 2009 season and have the following plans:

1. Factory Superbike. Using the rules agreed by Honda, Suzuki, Kawasaki, and Yahama last year for the 2009 series, the series will transition by 2011 with the FIM into World Superbike rules and equipment.

As Roger Edmonson and friends' ties with NASCAR are known, they will adopt the minimum proficiency rules over there. To ride in Factory Superbike, a rider must have a Factory Pro licence, requiring experience and performance at top levels of US Superbike racing, MotoGP, or WSBK.

This class will challenge WSBK, and be up to that level.

2. American Superbike. Lower levels of modification and performance, with single fuel and tire suppliers (Sunoco fuel likely). Testing limited and parts must be homologated and available to all teams. Factory Pro or Superbike Pro license required.

Motorcycles entered in American Superbike may not be entered in Factory Superbike.

3. Daytona Superbike. Power to weight and dynamometer controls will be used, and V-twins and 600cc 4-cylinders will be legal. The 600cc DSB will be closer to what will become standard with the new MotoGP2 class that will replace the 250cc class in MotoGP competition. The class will in 2009 likely be between V-Twins and the MotoGP2 class 4-cylinder bikes -- and the MotoGP2 class bikes will be interesting because this will replace 250 in international competition.

All approved machines and after-market parts will be homologated, and must be available to all competitors.

All Superbike licensed riders with Factory Pro, Superbike Pro, and Limited Pro licenses will be permitted to ride in DSBK.

[T-D]

factory superbike will probably see grids with as few as a dozen riders

[BobbyC]

I do think the FSBK, when it becomes a WSBK formula with rules from WSBK, may result in factories using the US series as a stepping stone to WSBK. DSBK might just be what MotoGP factories do in order to prepare for the MotoGP2 class in two years.

:hot: Cartoon character Yosemite Sam is always shooting himself in the foot now (if this information is correct) ASBK looks like doing the same.

Why the hell can't they conform with the rest of the world? Is there something wrong with conformity?

[veeten]

:hot: Cartoon character Yosemite Sam is always shooting himself in the foot now (if this information is correct) ASBK looks like doing the same.

Why the hell can't they conform with the rest of the world? Is there something wrong with conformity?

If you can have a collection of series under one organization, and yet they can make connections with FGSport & Dorna, and have no complaints from either one, then why should they?

Daytona Superbike works well with what FIM has in mind in the replacement of 250cc 2-stroke with 600cc 4-stroke.

Factory Superbike give the likes of Yoshimura Suzuki the incentive to move to a more competitive level, where the manufacturers can build some of the most incredible bikes ever.

American Superbike holds to where it is competitive with other national superbike series across the globe, as well as World Superbike, using the same technical regs that many of them will/are using.

[ChrisS]

The Daytona Superbike class has nothing to do with the FIM 250cc replacement series. Daytona uses a power-to-weight system and will see bikes of several displacements (up to 1200cc Twins) racing together.

It will probably offer the best show from the 3 classes however. with American Superbike 2nd. Factory Superbikes will be the Yoshimura/Mat Mladin (with Spies leaving) championship.

And having 3 "Superbike" classes will confuse a lot of casual fans.

[veeten]

better explanations of the three categories here...

http://www.superbikeplanet.com/2008/Jul/080719a.htm

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[ChrisS]

None of the manufacturers committed to the new proposed Factory Superbike class and as a result it was dropped by DMG

http://www.cyclenews.com/ShowStory.asp?HeadlineID=12798

and it looks like some of the manufacturers are setting up their own series for next season

http://www.cyclenews.com/ShowStory.asp?HeadlineID=12821

[bennybigb]

As a formula car fan and sports car fan in America, I have watched Nascar/Daytona Group split all other major forms of professional racing in the U.S. This has ruined open wheel racing, leading to the CART series' demise, and they've underhanded the ALMS series every chance they get. Nascar has also attempted to ruin sprint car racing in the U.S. by splitting.

Nascar/ISC also buys racetracks just to shut them down, leaving local racers without a place to race.

Now, Nascar intends to kill motorcycle racing in the U.S. once again by spliting it.

I am anti-Nascar, anti-ISC, and anti-Daytona Group. I hope all of you motorcycle fans are strong enough to stay united. Don't support the Nascar monopoly, support the true series with the real racers and teams.

Good Luck.

[NinjaMaster]

I wonder with the Boulder Ducati team going to WSB whether or not the likes of Monster Kawasaki would follow likewise and give the green marque a worthwhile presence in the series. Also, Ben Spies has said whatever happens he won't be racing in the U.S. next year so I wonder if it would be possible for his current Zook team to run him in WSB next year?

It really seems like AMA is stuffed without any manufacturer support. I know that WSB looked the same a few years ago when the manufacturers walked away but I don't see the incentive for the makers to return to the AMA or the relevance the AMA series will have to international racing.

Testing times ahead.

[ChrisS]

I am not pro-DMG and I think their proposed classes are not that good but the AMA Superbike Championship was on a downhill spiral for years now (Grid getting smaller and smaller, One team and 2 rider won all but one race in a 3 year period with the rest looking as alsoruns) and DMG was the first one that dared to stand up and say that thing need to change.

The Motorcycle Industry Council (MIC) should not control the series they race in. Things were bad enough when they indirectly controlled the AMA, imagine how they will be if they have direct and complete control

[Roninho]

Having manufacturers involved in the running of a serie is not going to work long-term. Just look at DTM/ITC and CART. For the manufacturers the involvement in the serie is simply a way of getting more sales, there is no interest in the long-term future and stability of a serie.

This is wat this daytona group should imo do the next few years:
- Go for this american superbike class as your main class. Make sure that it is indeed possible to run a good bike for a decent budget.
- Increase the schedule to +- 15 races
- Use their powers and money (i'm assuming they are willing to invest big and have the connections to land sponsorships) to get the races live with good pre-race coverage on something like espn2.

With full fields of close racing, a full schedule, lower costs, stable rules and good tv-coverage it will take only a couple of years before the american importers will start to re-think about spending big money running those mega-budget r&d superbikes and instead want to be in the championship that has the exposure for less costs.

[ChrisS]

the other shoe dropped. MIC announced the creation of the new United States Super Bike series USSB

http://www.superbikeplanet.com/2008/Sep/080910ussb.htm

and DMG's first reaction

http://roadracingworld.com/news/article/?article=34130

So let the fighting for securing sponsors, tracks, teams, riders, etc begin. The real losers of this will be the US motorcycle fans, just like open wheel fans were the losers of the CART-CCWS/IRL split.

[NinjaMaster]

I can see this ending badly. Hopefully it is very short before both parties realize it is an untenable arrangement.

[NinjaMaster]

Finally it appears that sanity has prevailed.

http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/Opinion/Columnists/Motorsport/racMOTO101908.htm

For the first time I actually like what Edmonson had to say. I still disagree with Daytona Sportbikes being the premier class but the rest makes far more sense. I especially like his promotion of universal national superbike rules. No, it's not a particularly new idea but I liked the thought of the national series being probably closer to stock thus making such series more affordable and putting WSB on a higher pedestal as the World Championship on superior bikes. I'm actually excited about it now which has been a while.

Increase in prize money in effort to remedy the situation................ http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/557/1911/Motorcycle-Article/3.3-Mil-AMA-Road-Racing-Purse.aspx

[ChrisS]

If I understand things correctly, the Honda factory team is out but they will still support privateer teams.

In a way this may be what DMG wants

I still cant make any sense of the Daytona class, looking at the bikes which qualify for homologation:
Aprilia RSV1000
BMW HP2 Sport
Buell 1125R
Ducati 848
Honda CBR600RR
Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R
KTM Super Duke
Suzuki GSX-R600
Triumph Daytona 675
Yamaha YZF-R6

I dont see how some of these bikes can be in competition against each other

[call_me_andrew]

If I understand things correctly, the Honda factory team is out but they will still support privateer teams.

In a way this may be what DMG wants

I still cant make any sense of the Daytona class, looking at the bikes which qualify for homologation:
Aprilia RSV1000
BMW HP2 Sport
Buell 1125R
Ducati 848
Honda CBR600RR
Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R
KTM Super Duke
Suzuki GSX-R600
Triumph Daytona 675
Yamaha YZF-R6

I dont see how some of these bikes can be in competition against each other

Just keep adding lead bricks until it all evens out.