The History Of The Superbike World Championship
Known as the number one championship in the bike racing world
, the Superbike World Championship had its first season in 1988 and has dominated the professional bike racing industry ever since.
To an outside spectator of the sport, or someone who is only just beginning to be interested in bike racing, it can be complicated to understand what the difference is between the various racing championships, primarily the Superbike World Championship and the MotoGP, as they both appear to use similar bikes and occasionally, the same riders.
In essence, the SBK (the alias for Superbike World Championship) only allows for bikes to be entered that can be originally purchased outside of the racing industry and that can be used on public roads (it is considered that if a bike insurance policy can be taken out on a bike of a Superbike size, it can be used in the SBK). Whilst there are always modifications made to the bikes, it varies considerably from MotoGP where the bikes that are used are very rarely available to be purchased and used on public roads, often being prototypes coming direct from the manufacturer.
Throughout the two decades that the SBK has been organized, there have been a variety of different winners, both in terms of riders and teams (known more broadly as the manufacturers), with various struggles, dominations and unexpected events taking place along the way.
For instance, when the SBK first began, it saw bikes entered that used the traditional four cylinder engine (generally of a 750cc size) alongside the V-twin style engine, which was not known for its usage in bike racing of this form at the time. As would be expected, the four cylinder engines dominated for the initial years of the championship. However, with some tweaking and modifications, with Ducati leading the way, the V-twin engines became massively popular, overtaking the four cylinder versions after the early years of the SBK.
Ducatis first steps into mainly using V-twin engines paid off substantially and from 1990 to 2009 the team went on to dominate the SBK, taking home 13 rider championships (4 of which were with the most successful SBK rider ever, Carl Fogarty) and 16 manufacturer titles.
Aside from Ducatis dominance in the championship, there have been many other eventful periods, such as the 2002 season that saw the season long battle between Troy Bayliss (riding on a Ducati) and Colin Edwards (on a Honda). At the start of the season, Bayliss was expected by many to take the title and started off well, winning the first three races in Spain, Australia and South Africa. However, it became apparent by the fourth race on April 21 in Japan that Edwards could challenge for the title, with the remaining 9 races being won by either Bayliss or Edwards.
To those interested in the sport, the final race on the Imola circuit in Italy carries the nickname of the The Showdown In Imola, as Bayliss and Edwards fought tyre to tyre, back and forth, for the whole race, with Edwards taking pole position by the end and winning what is reputed to be one of the best seasons in the history of the SBK.
The Superbike World Championship has grown immensely in popularity over the past 22 years, overtaking other bike championships such as the MotoGP in the popularity stakes. Entered by the leading riders and manufacturers in the sport, it is fast becoming one of the primary racing sports to watch around the world.
by: Christopher Reinhold
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