The 2010 season marks the British Superbike Championship’s 23rd year. The British Superbike Championship is recognised as the world’s premier domestic motorcycle racing championship, producing breathtaking elbow-to-elbow action on production-based motorcycles capable of more than 200mph!

Superbikes are race machines developed from production road-going, litre-class sportsbikes of between 1000-1200cc. Stripped of headlights, road-bodywork and indicators, the machines are lightened, strengthened and fitted with improved tyres, suspension and engine parts until they are capable of more than 200 brake horsepower and 200mph!

Since its high-profile re-launch in 1996, the British Superbike Championship has revitalised motorcycle racing in the UK and has played a key role in the careers of future World Champions including Troy Bayliss, Neil Hodgson, James Toseland and current World Supersport champion Cal Crutchlow. The series continues to attract leading motorcycle manufacturer supported teams as well as riders from as far afield as Japan, Australia, USA, Spain and France and, over the years has attracted sponsorship from a constantly growing list of blue-chip companies including HM Plant, Hitachi, Audi, Virgin Mobile, Lloyds, Nokia, Panasonic, Cadbury’s, Red Bull, Vimto, Old Spice, Sony and Samsung. The amount of fans coming through the gates to watch the track action is also increasing, with on average, around 25,000 attending each of 2008’s 12 rounds and a television audience in excess of a 6.5 million over the season.

From 2008, the championship followed the Superbike World Championship in appointing Pirelli as the single control tyre supplier, until the end of the 2010 season, whereas previously different teams ran with different tyre manufacturers.

2010 marks a number of exciting changes, the first being the replacement of the Privateer’s Cup with a new class – the ‘Evolution’ class, and secondly, a whole new format for qualifying and points scoring.

BSB Evo is open to everyone eligible in the series, from official manufacturer-backed teams to privateers. BSB Evo uses motorcycles with close-to-stock engines with a ‘control ECU package’ which eliminates traction control and anti-wheelie electronics. The standard engines are mated to superbike-spec chassis. This new class is part of a trial which could see the entire grid adopt the regulations in 2011. It’s hoped that these new regulations will keep costs down, enabling more teams and riders to get onto a BSB grid, while the prospect of no traction control or limited electronics means that it’s down to the rider to control the bike - resulting in more of a ‘show’ for the fans by seeing real rider skill on the track.

For 2010 the rules and qualifying format are also changing, to try and achieve exciting and championship racing action over the whole of the season.

Qualifying
The popular, Formula 1 "knockout" style Roll for Pole remains, but this now sets the grid for just BSB Race 1. All riders first take to the track for Q1 over 20 minutes. The field is then whittled down to 20 riders in Q2 over 12 minutes, and then the final 8 minutes shoot-out for pole position by the top 10 riders in Q3. 

For the second race, the best lap times in Race 1 set the grid for Race 2. 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 will be on race rubber, rather than softer tyres that favour certain qualifying specialists. There will also be a ‘Second Chance’ for riders who unfortunately suffer a crash or mechanical failure before the end of the first lap in Race 1. Their bad fortune is not compounded further as the riders can line up for Race 2 in their Race 1 starting grid position plus 8 "penalty places", emphasising the necessity for a good initial qualifying position. As an example, if the rider in pole position for Race 1 crashed on the first lap and was unable to continue, he would start Race 2 from position 9 on the third row of the grid.   

Race
The central concept of the new rule 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. A new format and 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.

First the Main Season, then ‘The Showdown!’
The championship will be divided into two parts. The first nine events form the Main Season, with the standard points scoring format of 25 for a win, then 20, 16, 13, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 awarded for each of the nineteen races from the nine events.

From their total points at the end of the Main Season, all riders then drop their two worst scores, which must be from events they have at least qualified for.

From this points order, the first six riders in the championship standings will be elevated to a new base level and become the Title Fighters for the final three events and seven races of the championship.

Each ‘Title Fighter’ will start the last three rounds with 500 points, plus additional points for each podium position they have obtained during the first nine rounds; 3 for a win, 2 for a second, and 1 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 Title Fighters continue to race for the BSB Riders' Cup, continuing to add to their points total from the end of the Main Season. This also applies to the new BSB EVO class. 

This year’s series commences on 5 April at Brands Hatch and finishes on 10 October at Oulton Park, with 12 rounds across England and Scotland. For the second successive season, two rounds – Brands Hatch GP on 6-8 August and the season finale at Oulton Park 8-10 October – will be triple-headers, with three races over the weekend instead of the normal double-header format.

British Eurosport will continue to air the British Superbike series, as they enter the second-year of a two-year deal. This season's races are all being covered live on British Eurosport with highlights packages broadcast on both EuroSport 2 and ITV1/ITV4.

British Superbike Championship Support Races

• Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship
• Metzeler National Superstock 1000 Championship
• Metzeler National Superstock 600 Championship
• Relentless 125 British Championship
• Triumph Triple Challenge (three rounds)
• Harley-Davidson XR1200 Trophy (five rounds)

For further information please visit www.britishsuperbike.com