The SBK Commission decides on some innovations for the 2024 Superbike World Championship: There is a new weekend format and some technical changes
About a month and a half before the start of the 2024 Superbike World Championship season, those responsible for the series have announced some changes. At the meeting of the Superbike Commission, consisting of representatives from Dorna, the FIM and the manufacturers, a series of small adjustments were agreed to ensure greater equality of opportunity, better sustainability and more excitement.
The weekend format will be adjusted in detail. In order to pay more attention to the smaller classes, the qualifying sessions for the support categories will now take place on Friday afternoon and will be one of the highlights of the first day of the event. This means that the riders in the Supersport World Championship and the Supersport 300 World Championship will only have one free practice session before the starting grid is decided.
The format of the Superbike World Championship remains largely the same. Only the practice time will be shortened into two sessions. In the third free practice session on Saturday morning, the riders will only have 20 minutes instead of the previous 30 minutes. And in the warm-up on Sunday morning, the practice time will be reduced to 10 minutes. Previously, the riders had 15 minutes to prepare for the two races on Sunday.
From 2024, the tank capacity of the Superbikes will be limited to a maximum of 21 liters of fuel. At least two motorcycles per manufacturer must be equipped with fuel flow meters. This is to collect data for the 2025 season, in which those responsible want to limit the fuel flow. In addition, 40 percent sustainable fuel (E40) must be used in the Superbike World Championship and the Supersport World Championship from 2024.
If a rider exceeds the maximum permitted number of engines, new rules for penalties will apply with immediate effect. If an additional engine is used, the driver must start both main races from the back of the field and complete two long lap penalties. Previously, it was mandatory to start from the pit lane. As not all pit lane exits are the same length, the new solution has created a fairer penalty
The starting grid for the second race of the Supersport World Championship and Supersport 300WM will be redefined from this year. The fastest lap times of the first race will decide the first nine grid positions for race two.
From 2024, the manufacturers in the Supersport World Championship must provide their customer teams with a racing kit (triple clamps, steerer tube, swingarm linkage) for a maximum of 1,000 euros.
In addition, an exemption has been defined for the minimum age in the Supersport World Championship. Riders who finished in the top 3 of the overall standings in the Supersport 300 World Championship, the Moto2 European Championship and the European Stock Championship can switch to the Supersport World Championship, even if they are not yet 18 years old.
