subject: The Increasing Popularity Of The British Motorbike Championship [print this page] The British Superbike Championship (known more commonly as British Superbikes and regularly shortened to simply BSB) is one of the most popular motorbike racing events in the world and is the leading event in the United Kingdom.
Entering its twenty second year, the BSB has been sponsored by various motorbike insurance companies over the years and operates by providing two separate winners cups, with one going to the riders of the motorbikes and one going to the manufacturers or teams. There is often strong speculation as to which is the most coveted prize, as whilst the riders cup is much sought after, achieving first place in the teams cup is considered to be a particular highlight for any manufacturer.
Over the two decades that the BSB has been organized, the event has seen many popular and famous riders participate and win the event, many of which have used the championship as a stepping stone for one of the more famous events, such as the Superbike World Championship.
Neil Hodgson, for example, first entered the BSB when he was 26 in the 1999 season as part of the GSE Racing team and went on to win the championship the following year in 2000 with a final points score of 422 (made up of 7 wins and 5 pole finishes). Leaving the BSB before the 2001 season, Hodgson moved on to World Superbikes for three years, before taking part in various other championships around the world and is now planning to make a return to the BSB in 2010, riding with Motorpoint Yamaha.
Another prime example is Troy Bayliss, the team mate of Neil Hodgson in the 1999 season and who went on to take the title, even though he had (and still has) the second lowest points total of any rider in the championship (394 from 7 wins and 6 pole finishes). Whilst his points tally in the BSB may not have been particularly envious, Bayliss used the BSB to propel himself in the Superbike racing limelight and over the coming years took home no less than three individual Superbike World Championship titles.
Each and every year the BSB gains in popularity and to a certain extent, difficulty, for both the riders and manufacturers. This can be seen perfectly in the 2009 season when winner Leon Carnier, riding for Airwaves GCSE, amassed a total of 549.5 points (gained through 19 wins, 9 pole finishes, 4 doubles and 1 treble), giving him the highest points total of any rider in the championship ever. With winners in previous years finishing with between 420 and 460 points, the only winner to ever come close to Carniers total is John Reynolds who won the 2001 season with 536 points.
The BSB is a fantastic and well respected Superbike event. Featuring some of the biggest names in the motorbike racing circuit, both in terms of riders and manufacturers, the participants may struggle to take out a motorbike insurance policy due to their greatly revered occupation, but with the increasing popularity and therefore prize money, this should not be a problem for even the youngest of participants.
