The British Superbike Championship is universally recognised as the world’s premier domestic motorcycle racing championship, producing breathtaking elbow-to-elbow racing action on the UK’s best short circuits.

Superbikes competing in this class are race machines developed from production road-going, litre-class sportsbikes of between 1000-1200cc. Stripped of lights and road-bodywork, the machines are lightened significantly and fitted with up-rated suspension, chassis, engine parts and full race exhaust systems. The result is a machine that produces in excess of 200bhp and is capable of speeds of 200mph!

Since its high-profile re-launch in 1996, the British Superbike Championship has proved a hot-bed for young talent and has played a key role in the careers of many World Champions, including Troy Bayliss, Neil Hodgson, James Toseland and Cal Crutchlow. The reputation and reach of the series is such that it attracts riders from as far afield as Japan, Australia, USA, Spain and France.

Supported by many of the leading motorcycle manufacturers and teams in the sport, the British Superbike Championship enters its 25^th year of competition in 2012. Over the years the series has attracted sponsorship from a high-profile list of blue-chip companies including HM Plant, Hitachi, Samsung, Virgin, Lloyds, Nokia, Panasonic, Cadbury’s, and Red Bull. Average on-event attendance is close to 35,000 people per event and a further worldwide television audience of close to 9 million people watch from the comfort of their sofas over the course of the season.

From 2008, the championship followed the Superbike World Championship in appointing Pirelli as the single control tyre supplier. The control tyre remains the same for 2012 however there are a number of significant technical changes due to come into effect from 2012.

The new technical regulations of the main BSB championship lean very much towards the successful EVO regulations which were introduced as a sub-category for the 2010 and 2011 seasons. The most significant changes being the adoption of a standard ECU and the outlawing of electronic rider aids such as traction control, launch control and anti-wheelie systems. These new regulations are designed to keep costs down and racing close, enabling more teams and riders to get onto a BSB grid. The prospect of no traction control or limited electronics means that pure rider skill is likely to shine through.

Qualifying

The popular, "knockout" style Roll for Pole remains, setting the grid for just BSB Race 1. Qualifying is split into three sessions. All riders take to the track for Q1 (20mins). The field is then whittled down to 20 riders for Q2 (12mins), and then the final Q3 session (8mins) is a shoot-out for pole position amongst the top 10 riders.

For the second race, the grid is set in accordance with the best lap times from Race 1. This aims to give a greater reward to riders making a charge through the field, perhaps as a result of a bad qualifying performance or a bad start. 

Significantly all the riders are on race rubber, rather than softer tyres that favour certain qualifying specialists. There is also a ‘Second Chance’ for riders who do not get to complete a lap in Race 1. A penalty of eight places on their original Race 1 starting position for Race 2 does not further compound the misery.

Race format

The central concept of the British Superbike race format is that there should be a crescendo of competition towards the end of the championship to minimise the chances of anyone securing the title before the final stages of the year. The points scoring system will virtually guarantee that the title will go down to the wire and create a new, thrilling spectacle for television and trackside audiences.

Main Season, then ‘Showdown!’

The championship is divided into two parts. The first nine events form the first part of the season. Points scoring is awarded to the top 15 finishers in each race, on the basis of 25-20-16-13-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1.

From the total points score at the end of the ninth round, all riders drop their two worst scores (from qualified events) and from this the top six positions are decided. The first six riders in the championship standings will be elevated to a new base level and become the title challengers for the Showdown phase. The Showdown will take place at the Silverstone Arena GP circuit and then the series heads abroad to the infamous Assen in the Netherlands, before concluding at the hallowed Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit with a triple-header finale.

Each of the six title challengers will start the last three rounds with 500 points, plus additional points for each podium position they have obtained during the first nine rounds; 3pts for a win, 2pts for a second, and 1pt for a third. These are termed ‘podium credits’. The standard points scoring format then continues for the final three rounds.

All riders outside of the top-six title challengers will continue to race for the BSB Riders' Cup (for the highest placed non-championship challenger), amassing points to their original total from the first part of the season.

This year’s series commences on 6-9 April at Brands Hatch Indy circuit before visiting eight further major UK circuits, plus for the first time, Assen in the Netherlands on 21-23 September. The season finishes at Brands Hatch GP circuit on 12-14 October.

British Eurosport will continue to air the British Superbike series, with live coverage from each event and with comprehensive highlight packages.

British Superbike Championship Support Races

• Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship
• Metzeler National Superstock 1000 Championship
• Metzeler National Superstock 600 Championship
• Sunco 125 British Championship