If there is a restart in the Superpole race, the race distance will be increased in case of doubt to prevent overly aggressive riding
On 19 September 2021, the Superpole race of the World Superbike Championship in Barcelona had to be abandoned. There were five laps to go at the restart. The riders were extremely aggressive in order to make up positions in the short time available. The officials reacted to this and defined a new minimum race distance for the restart of a Superpole race.
At the Superbike Commission meeting, the parties involved agreed that a minimum of eight laps must be completed at the restart of a Superpole race in order to calm down the race action. The aim is to prevent “riders from riding over-aggressively and thereby creating dangerous situations”, according to a WSBK statement.
In addition to the new minimum race distance in the event of a restart of the sprint race, further detailed changes were adopted to improve safety. The decisions of the stewards as well as protests and appeals will now be displayed on the time monitors.
Furthermore, there are new rules for riders whose health condition has to be checked when returning after an injury. The adjustment is intended to prevent a rider from returning prematurely and endangering himself and his opponents.
And there are also small changes to the helmets. The helmets of riders who end up in the Medical Centre after a crash will be confiscated by the medical staff and presented to the Technical Director or Technical Steward before the helmet is returned to the rider or their team manager.
If there has been a head injury in the crash, then the helmet will be passed on to the FIM laboratory at the University of Zaragoza. There, a detailed analysis is carried out in order to work out improvements for the future. The information is passed on to the helmet manufacturer. The latter can accompany the investigation in order to draw conclusions for the further development of its products.
