Sykes, Rea and Davies dominate the WSBK weekend at Donington Park [Read more…]
Exclusive! WSBK coming to India
You have probably read this before, and, maybe, even started looking out for race tickets before the Indian round of the World Superbike Championship got dumped two years ago, but, racing enthusiasts in the country rejoice! We have exclusive news that the championship will finally make its Indian debut in 2017.
Bike India was at the Imola round of WSBK last weekend where we learnt from the right sources that Dorna, the rights holder of WSBK, and the Indian promotor (possibly the Jaypee group) are in the final stage of negotiations to host a round of the championship on the Buddh International Circuit from the 2017 season.
The Indian round of the championship was abruptly dropped from the 2013 calender due to “operational challenges” caused by lengthy customs procedures in India. The new project, however, has brighter chances of working out since the Indian government has recently recognised racing as a sport, which should make it easier to get the necessary clearances.
The World Superbike Championship is a world-class motorcycle racing series only second to MotoGP. Unlike the high-tech prototypes raced in MotoGP, the bikes raced in WSBK are based on street-legal motorcycles you and I can buy and that gives the championship a direct connect with the superbike market.
ChemChina buys Pirelli
China National Tire and Rubber Company, an umbrella firm of the China National Chemical Corporation have made an offer of 7.1 billion Euros (Rs 4.82 lakh crore) to buy in to Italian tyre manufacturer, Pirelli.
MV Agusta F4 RC spy shots leaked
MV Agusta’s last bike was the F4 RR and it blew our mind last year. This year the Italian manufacturer seems to be readying what could possibly be the F4 RC. [Read more…]
WSBK Rules clarification and a new 300cc class
The end of the year calls for a revision of the rules and regulations for the World Superbike series and the superbike commission, composed of the top brass at FIM, Dorna and the WSBK met at the Dorna headquarters in Madrid to revise the rules for the upcoming season. The revision will see changes across sporting, disciplinary and medical regulations, which will now be harmonised as much as possible to the Grand Prix regulations. The move will benefit everybody including the riders, teams, technical staff, event organisers, track authorities and marshals. This will also allow circuits to host either both events or switch between the two series.
The changes on the technical end include changes in the balancing rules for different engine designs thus allowing a healthy competition between teams using different engine formats. Also, teams will be allowed to use the 2014 Electronics package for the first two races of the season, in case the new system should cause any technical problems to the bikes.
The meeting has also led to discussions about the prospective Supersport 300cc class, which will be the new entry-level class for the WSBK series. The commission is creating a working group to look at this new class and has approved the assembly of any interested machine manufacturers to develop a class structure for said category. The move is intended to provide a low cost impetus to young riders without making a dent in their bank account.
If Dorna and FIM are able to garner enough interest in this new entry-level category, then there is a high possibility of WSBK coming to India. It will also give riders from the Sub-Continent a chance to enter the glamorous world of WSBK.
Story: Aniruddha Mulgund
New Honda CBR1000RR SP set for launch
Honda release their plans for a special version of the company’s CBR1000RR SuperSport bike, which is christened CBR1000RR SP. [Read more…]
Suzuki reveal GSX-R1000 WSBK Limited-Edition
Suzuki Motorcycles have revealed their new limited-edition GSX-R1000 with a World Superbike (WSBK) replica paint scheme.
2015 Ducati Hypermotard SP breaks cover
The attendants at the World Ducati Week in Misano, Italy got a special treat in the shape of the new 2015 Ducati Hypermotard SP. [Read more…]
2015 Aprilia RS4 125 WSBK Replica
Aprilia have showcased a special treat for all young riders with the new 2015 RS4 125 WSBK replica. [Read more…]
Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R ‘World Champion Edition’
Kawasaki have announced an all new special edition Ninja ZX-10R to go on sale in the United Kingdom. Now before you even plan on shelling out some money on this special edition ZX-10R, let us give you some low down on it – only a mere 25 bikes have been made. So you might be thinking that there is a probability of getting one, but we must sadly inform you that 24 units of the ‘World Champion Edition’ have already been spoken for.
So now you might just ask us as to what makes this Ninja ZX-10R so special? Well, the ‘World Champion Edition’ ZX-10R features the 2013 Kawasaki Racing Team sticker kit, a beastly-sounding Leo Vince Evo 2 exhaust, a tank protector and an additional air box cover signed by Sykes. To add the icing of the cake the signed plaque indicates that each machine is one of 25.
Speaking at the official unveiling event in UK, current WSBK World Champion – Tom Sykes stated, “Last year was a dream come true and it’s great to be a part of Kawasaki’s racing heritage. Now we have created these limited edition bikes, 25 people can get hold of a little piece of Ninja history for themselves.”
The Ninja ZX-10R ‘World Champion Edition’ has been priced at £12,749 (Rs 13 lakh).
Story: Sayem Syed
