Superbike World Championship (also known as WorldSBK , SBK , World Superbike , WSB , or WSBK ) is a silhouette road racing series based on heavily modified production sports motorcycles .
56-554: Sylvain Guintoli (born 24 June 1982) is a French professional motorcycle racer and race analyst for television. He was FIM World Superbike Champion in 2014 . Until the Suzuki MotoGP team's withdrawal from racing in 2022, he was contracted as their test and development rider, with occasional race entries as a wild card or replacement rider. In 2024, Guintoli was contracted as a test rider, together with Bradley Smith , for
112-643: A Ducati 999 . Though 999 production ended in 2006 and the bike was replaced by the Ducati 1098 , Ducati produced 150 limited-edition 999s at an elevated race specification to satisfy homologation requirements. Bayliss' main rivals in his title defense included former MotoGP rider Max Biaggi riding a Suzuki, 2004 champion James Toseland riding a Honda and Noriyuki Haga riding a Yamaha. The combination of some uneventful races in MotoGP and some exciting races in SBK saw
168-495: A 7th place at Barcelona. Battaini finished in front of the Frenchman in 10th place with 93 points and Olivé behind in 19th place with 27 points. For the 2005 season, Guintoli returned to the Équipe du France GP Scrab, partnered first by Grégory Leblanc and then by Mathieu Gines, both French. He once again rode an Aprilia 250. Nothing changed from last year, with Guintoli again finishing in midpoints scoring positions. He finished
224-619: A final win, 1st, at Assen. After finishing the British Superbike Championship season with three fifth places at Oulton Park , Guintoli was signed up for another season with the Worx Crescent Suzuki squad. But when Max Neukirchner suddenly left Suzuki to join Honda , Guintoli was drafted in as his replacement for the 2010 season. Guintoli then rode the final World Superbike Championship round of
280-612: A point. Marco Melandri won more races than both Biaggi and Sykes this season but failing to score points in 5 of the last 6 races cost him the title. The season saw the number of riders per row on the starting grid reduced from four to three; the knockout system in use for Superpole was revised as the number of riders admitted to the first and to the third session changed from sixteen to fifteen and from eight to nine respectively. In addition, pit stops with tyre changes were introduced in order to avoid races to be interrupted due to variable weather conditions. Kawasaki rider Tom Sykes
336-441: A record 11 poles in the 14 round series and 14 wins (17 podiums) in 28 races; his main rival Haga was more consistent, finishing on the podium 19 times but winning only 8 races. 2009 also saw the debut of BMW and the return of Aprilia . Aprilia took a fourth final place in the championship with Max Biaggi , while BMW finished thirteenth with Troy Corser . 2009 Champion Ben Spies moved to MotoGP . James Toseland returned to
392-423: A road-going 1,000 cc V-twin superbike and that the level of tuning now needed to make their 999 competitive on the race track was too expensive. Ducati said they would quit if the rules were not changed, while Alstare Suzuki team boss Francis Batta also said that his team would quit if the new rules gave Ducati an unfair advantage. The FIM eventually included the 1,200 cc displacement limit for twins in
448-481: The 2008 superbike rules. According to the new rules, twin-cylinder motorcycles would be 6 kg heavier than four-cylinder machines (168 kg to 162 kg) and would also have a 50 mm air restrictor fitted. The weight limit and the intake-restrictor size of twin machines would be updated, if needed, during the Championship, by a system analysing the race points obtained. The new rules also changed
504-582: The British Superbike Championship impressively with a 1st and 2nd at the Brands Hatch Indy circuit. However, during the buildup to race 5 of the championship at Donington Park, Guintoli was involved in a collision with Josh Brookes . The incident left Guintoli with a broken tibia and fibula in his right leg, with him expected to miss several rounds He finished the season in 8th place, with 166 points, having scored one win and three further podiums in his first four races. In 2017, Guintoli returned to
560-596: The British Superbike Championship with the then-new Suzuki GSX-R1000 . In 2021 he was the winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race on Suzuki together with Xavier Simeon and Gregg Black, followed by the Bol d'Or and finally the Championship. In 2022, he suffered a wrist injury preventing his entry into the Suzuka 8 Hours race and also as a replacement for Joan Mir in MotoGP . Guintoli made his grand prix debut in
616-468: The Magny-Cours Race 1. His victory gave him an unassailable lead with five races remaining. The season was marred by the death of Honda rider and former MotoGP World Champion Nicky Hayden , who succumbed to injuries sustained in a pedal-cycling accident near Rimini , Italy, on 22 May. Jonathan Rea won his fourth Superbike world title for Kawasaki. 2018 was the final season run with
SECTION 10
#1732779824048672-600: The Motegi GP, making this his best MotoGP finish, and Dunlop 's best finish on an 800cc bike. There were further regular lower-point finishes in 2007. He finished the season in sixteenth place, with 50 points, against Tamada's 38. He was officially snapped up by Luis d'Antin , to ride the Ducati Desmocedici in 2008 for Pramac d'Antin , now renamed as Alice Team (replacing Alex Hofmann), on Saturday 15 September. Guintoli had an average 2008 finishing 13th in
728-461: The Rio GP and at Valencia. He finished the year in 10th place with 104 points. For the 2004 season, Guintoli remained with Campetella Racing, riding again on a private 250 Aprilia. He was partnered again by Franco Battaini and this time also by Joan Olivé . This year the team struggled and none of them scored podiums. Guintoli finished the year in 14th place with 42 points, his best result being
784-631: The Tech 3 Yamaha team in 2007 . He described the opportunity as a "dream come true", but suffered a setback early in testing when he crashed and broke his collarbone , eliminating him from testing for several weeks. The Tech 3 team was one of the backmarkers and Guintoli has scored solid lower-order points in 2007, always qualifying in front of his teammate Makoto Tamada and the Kawasakis. He shone in damp conditions at Le Mans , briefly leading before falling, but rejoining to finish 10th. He finished 4th at
840-779: The 2009 season in Portimão finishing tenth in the second race. He was competitive at the opening round, but was disappointed with his own performance at round two in Portugal, where he took a best finish of ninth on a bike that teammate Leon Haslam rode to a victory. He did not finish as high as fourth again until round nine, but had scored points in every race at this stage. For 2011, Guintoli has signed with Liberty Cz Group-backed Liberty Ducati, based in Prague, Czech Republic. His teammate will be WSBK veteran and former Guandalini Ducati/Aprilia rider Jakub Smrz. In 2012, Guintoli achieved his and
896-562: The 250cc class for the Équipe du France, partnering Julian da Costa for the French GP , with a Honda. He qualified 24th out of 33 riders, two second and a half faster than da Costa, 32nd. He retired during the first few laps with a mechanical issue. Guintoli joined the French team Équipe du France - Scrab GP with fellow Frenchman Randy de Puniet in 250 Grand-Prix. He finished 14th in the 250 World Championship with 44 points. His best result
952-531: The BMW Motorrad world superbike team, delivered by Shaun Muir Racing . He spent the early years of his career in 250cc Grand-Prix World Championship on private bikes. He was a 500cc 2 stroke test rider for Yamaha and made a single MotoGP start in 2002. Best MotoGP rookie in 2007 for Yamaha, he raced for Ducati MotoGP in 2008. After a serious leg injury in 2009, he recovered and became World Superbike Champion in 2014 for Aprilia . For 2017, he competed in
1008-509: The British Superbike Championship riding a Suzuki. He skipped two rounds mid-season, having re-joined part-time the MotoGP class after six years to replace the injured Alex Rins, again for Suzuki. With three rounds to go, he is currently classified on 15th position, with 79 points. He is the best Suzuki rider. His best result is a 4th place at the opening race at Silverstone on 10 September, till another 4th place and
1064-588: The Championship. In 2016, he was hired by the new factory Yamaha World Superbike Team to ride the new R1. He suffered a brutal crash in Imola and broke several bones. He missed 10 races but came back to finish the season with a first podium for the squad in Doha, Qatar. He also ended the season in front of his teammate Alex Lowes. Guintoli's first race in the World Endurance Championship was at
1120-556: The Japanese manufacturers focused their resources there, leaving the Superbike World Championship with limited factory involvement (only Ducati and Suzuki). 2003 also saw the entry of Carl Fogarty ’s Foggy Petronas FP1. The bike was developed under the previous regulations and was powered by a three cylinder 900 cc engine. With most of the field running Ducati motorcycles, the championship received
1176-1466: The Le Mans 24-hour motorcycle endurance race, Guintoli has ambitions to become a successful car driver and be the first Le Mans 24-hour winner on both two and four wheels. ( key ) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap) ( key ) ( key ) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap) ( key ) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap) 1988 – F. Merkel 1989 – F. Merkel 1990 – R. Roche 1991 – D. Polen 1992 – D. Polen 1993 – S. Russell 1994 – C. Fogarty 1995 – C. Fogarty 1996 – T. Corser 1997 – J. Kocinski 1998 – C. Fogarty 1999 – C. Fogarty 2000 – C. Edwards 2001 – T. Bayliss 2002 – C. Edwards 2003 – N. Hodgson 2004 – J. Toseland 2005 – T. Corser 2006 – T. Bayliss 2007 – J. Toseland 2008 – T. Bayliss 2009 – B. Spies 2010 – M. Biaggi 2011 – C. Checa 2012 – M. Biaggi 2013 – T. Sykes 2014 – S. Guintoli 2015 – J. Rea 2016 – J. Rea 2017 – J. Rea 2018 – J. Rea 2019 – J. Rea 2020 – J. Rea 2021 – T. Razgatlıoğlu 2022 – Á. Bautista 2023 – Á. Bautista 2024 – T. Razgatlıoğlu Superbike World Championship The championship
SECTION 20
#17327798240481232-464: The Superbike World Championship after three years in MotoGP . The combination of Bayliss and Ducati proved unstoppable and they dominated the season, winning 12 races. Honda-mounted James Toseland and Yamaha's Noriyuki Haga battled for second with the British rider coming out on top. Defending champion Troy Corser on a Suzuki was fourth. 2006 gave the feeling that the Superbike World Championship
1288-585: The Superpole Race were determined by a single 25-minute Superpole Qualifying session. The grid for Race 2 featured the top nine riders in the Superpole Race in the order in which they finished followed by the remaining riders sorted by their Superpole Qualifying times. Jonathan Rea won his fifth Superbike world title for Kawasaki. In a season shortened by the Covid pandemic, Jonathan Rea won his sixth Superbike world title for Kawasaki. The championship
1344-508: The championship after 2 seasons in MotoGP and took Spies place at the Sterilgarda Yamaha World Superbike team, partnered by fellow Brit Cal Crutchlow . The factory Ducati team retained their two riders. The 2010 season started on February 28 at Phillip Island and ended on October 3 at Magny-Cours . The knockout system introduced for Superpole in 2009 was revised as the number of riders admitted to
1400-582: The championship are tuned versions of motorcycles available for sale to the public, by contrast with MotoGP where purpose built machines are used. MotoGP is the motorcycle world's equivalent of Formula One , whereas Superbike racing is similar to sports car racing . Europe is Superbike World Championship's traditional centre and leading market. However, rounds have been held in the United States, Malaysia , New Zealand, Canada, Japan, Argentina, Australia, Russia, Qatar , Thailand, and South Africa and
1456-454: The championship in the bike's first year of competition. Ducati regained the title in 2001 with Troy Bayliss . Colin Edwards again reclaimed the title in 2002 on the same VTR1000 SPW bike. Colin Edwards won his second championship in what was arguably the most impressive comeback in the history of motorcycle racing. The season started with Troy Bayliss winning the first 6 races and by
1512-526: The championship's popularity increase even more. The championship was won by James Toseland in the season's last race. His 415 points put him two points ahead of Noriyuki Haga, with former MotoGP winner Max Biaggi following with 397 points on a Suzuki. After introducing the Ducati 1098 in 2007 powered by a 1,099 cc v-twin engine Ducati requested that Superbike rules be changed to allow v-twins of up to 1,200 cc compete against 1,000 cc four-cylinder bikes. Ducati argued that they no longer produced
1568-488: The championship, with his best finish being a 6th in the German Grand Prix. At the end of the season Alice Team did not renew Guintoli's contract and with no other seats free he was forced to leave MotoGP to find a ride. Guintoli then took a step down to the British Superbike Championship for the 2009 season, riding for the Worx Crescent Suzuki team as their sole rider. Guintoli started his debut season in
1624-460: The derogatory title "the Ducati Cup". The factory Ducati Team entered the only two Ducati 999s in the field, taking 20 wins from 24 races in a season where all races were won by Ducati. Neil Hodgson won the title on a factory Ducati. In an effort to create a more competitive field in 2004 organizers announced a series of changes to the championship. The most significant was that from 2004
1680-595: The end of 2010. He rode for Suzuki SERT Team in the final round Doha, Qatar. They won the race and the 2010 World title following this result. He also raced for the factory Suzuki Yoshimura Team in the Suzuka 8H in 2017 (7th), 2018 (10th) and 2019 (5th). For the EWC 2021 season , Guintoli was part of the Championship-winning team with Gregg Black and Xavier Siméon riding for Yoshimura-Sert Suzuki. Having won
1736-441: The end of race 1 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca he had 14 wins and was leading the championship by 58 points. Race 2 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca was the start of Colin Edwards ' comeback, he went on to win all 9 remaining races and (aided by a race 2 crash for Bayliss at Assen ) Edwards won the championship at the final race of the season at Imola . The final race of the season saw both riders fighting wheel to wheel for
Sylvain Guintoli - Misplaced Pages Continue
1792-801: The end of the year. For the 2003 season, Guintoli returned to the 250cc class, racing for the Campetella Racing, riding a private Aprilia , partnering Italian Franco Battaini . He showed some good pace, fighting consistently for midpoints scoring positions. He finished his first race of the year, at Suzuka in 9th place. He started to get more competitive with a 6th and a 5th place at Mugello and Le Mans respectively. He even scored his first podium at Assen , finishing third in wet conditions, not far behind than race-winner Anthony West and Franco Battaini, both in Aprilias. He then scored some other strong points, finishing in fourth place twice, at
1848-487: The entire race. The race is known by fans as the "Showdown at Imola". The manufacturer's championship was won by Ducati . During these years the Superbike World Championship reached the zenith of its popularity, with global fan and full factory support. In 2003 the FIM changed the rules to allow 1,000 cc machines (twins, triples or four-cylinder) to race. Rule changes in MotoGP to allow four-stroke engines meant that
1904-406: The first race of the last round at Losail , while Kawasaki had secured the manufacturers' title at the previous event at Jerez . Chaz Davies won the most races this season with Davies winning 11 races to Rea's 9. After changes in the standard weekend timetable, the first race, which was previously run on Sunday along with the second one, was scheduled to be held on Saturday. The season saw
1960-422: The first two sessions was reduced from twenty to sixteen and from sixteen to twelve respectively. Ducati no longer competed with a factory team in 2011, after 23 seasons which had brought the marque a total of 29 riders' and manufacturers' championship titles, instead limiting its participation to privateer teams running their works bikes. Aprilia 's gear-driven camshafts on its RSV4 motorcycle – which won
2016-602: The minimum number of bikes required to acquire homologation . For 2008 and 2009, all manufacturers, regardless of total production numbers, had to produce a minimum of 1,000 bikes to acquire homologation. From 2010 onwards, the minimum production number was increased to 3,000 bikes. In the past, smaller manufacturers were allowed to build as few as 150 bikes to meet the homologation requirements. Manufacturers took advantage of this by producing 'homologation specials'--highly tuned versions of their road bikes with performance parts designed especially for racing. The 2008 SBK championship
2072-472: The one-make tyre rule contract. Partly as a result of the control tyres, Motorcycle Sports Manufacturer Association (Aprilia, Ducati, Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha) announced that no MSMA teams would participate in the Superbike World Championship, later modifying their statement allowing Ducati to participate. A few privateers chose to run Japanese bikes in 2004 . Ten Kate Honda with Chris Vermeulen as its rider, won races and actually contended for
2128-461: The public. For many years, the formula allowed for machines with 1,000 cc V-twin engines (principally Ducati , but later Aprilia and Honda ) to go up against the 750 cc four-cylinder engines ( Honda , Yamaha , Kawasaki and Suzuki ). For the first few seasons Honda won with the RC30 , but gradually the twins got the upper hand. Using 1,000 cc V-twin engines benefited Ducati and it
2184-517: The revision of the starting grid format for the second race, which was previously based on qualifying results for both races: riders placed from fourth to ninth in Race 1 were promoted to the first two rows for Race 2; then the third, the second and the winner followed on the third row; the remaining riders were sorted from the tenth grid slot onwards according to Superpole results. Jonathan Rea won his third Superbike world title for Kawasaki, by winning
2240-409: The season in 10th place, with 84 points. He outpaced his two teammates, with Leblanc who scored 6 points and Gines none. He was confirmed by the French team Equipe du France GP Scrab also for 2006, with rookie Jules Cluzel as his partner. Guintoli finished the year in ninth position, scoring 96 points, with Cluzel 20th. After having several years in the 250 cc class, he raced in the MotoGP class for
2296-527: The season on a high note by winning Race 2 in the opening round at Phillip Island . Four more wins will follow during the course of the season, culminating in his championship-winning double win at the closing round in Losail. Guintoli is the first French World Superbike champion since Raymond Roche in 1990 . For the 2015 Superbike World Championship season , he joined Pata Honda World Superbike . He finished in front of his young Teammate Michael Van Der Mark in
Sylvain Guintoli - Misplaced Pages Continue
2352-565: The series plans on keeping extra-European circuits in rotation. An Indonesian race was also proposed for the 2008 season, but this was later cancelled by the FIM, though it was later introduced in the 2021 season . The championship is regulated by the FIM , the international governing body of motorcycle racing. As of 2024 the championship is organised by Dorna as well as Liberty Media . The Superbike World Championship began in 1988 , being open to modified versions of road bike models available to
2408-562: The team's first win at the third round of the season, in Assen. He will top the podium twice again over the course of the season, first at Silverstone and then in the home-round at Magny Cours. He joined the Aprilia factory team in 2013 as a replacement for Max Biaggi, taking one win and finishing third overall in the Championship behind Tom Sykes and Eugene Laverty. He retained his seat for the 2014 Superbike World Championship season , and started
2464-408: The teams have had to run on Pirelli control or 'spec' tyres. The decision to award the control tyre to Pirelli was controversial. The Pirelli tyres were considered to be below the standard of Dunlop and Michelin that most of the teams had been using. Dunlop looked to take legal action against the decision while Pirelli claimed that Michelin and Dunlop were also asked if they would be interested in
2520-568: The ten fastest riders of practice. Aprilia's Sylvain Guintoli became the Superbike World Champion at the last race, prevailing over Tom Sykes by six points in the standings. But both Marco Melandri and Tom Sykes won more races than Sylvain Guintoli this season. With Sykes winning 8 and Melandri 6 compared to Guintoli's 5. Jonathan Rea became 2015 World Superbike Champion riding a Kawasaki. Jonathan Rea won his second consecutive Superbike World Championship title at
2576-460: The title a record four times and finished as runner-up twice on factory Ducatis. Troy Corser also won the 1996 title and finished as runner-up in 1995, both times on a Ducati. Realizing that 1,000 cc V-twin engines suited the superbike racing formula more, Honda introduced its own V-Twin powered motorcycle the VTR1000 SPW in 2000 . The result was clear right away as Colin Edwards won
2632-496: The title in 2010 with Max Biaggi – was banned for the 2011 season. After a dominating since season opening, Carlos Checa won his first championship and Ducati's 17th manufacturer title. The season saw the number of complete motorcycles in use limited to one per rider; this meant that the rules allowing bike changes during a race ( flag-to-flag ) were cancelled. Aprilia rider Max Biaggi clinched his second SBK championship, pipping Kawasaki rider Tom Sykes by just half
2688-406: The title that eventually was won by James Toseland and Ducati. Following Ten Kate Honda's success Japanese motorcycles made a return in 2005 with major teams from all four Japanese manufacturers run through teams ran by European importers. Troy Corser won the 2005 championship, giving Suzuki its first Superbike World Championship title. 2006 saw the return of Australian Troy Bayliss to
2744-465: The two-race format, as a three-race format was introduced for 2019. A new race format was introduced for the 2019 season. As in 2018 , two normal length races (Race 1 and Race 2) were held – one each on Saturday and Sunday (Friday and Saturday in Qatar). A third race, a ten lap sprint named the Superpole Race, was held on the final morning of the weekend prior to Race 2. The starting grids for Race 1 and
2800-590: Was 'back' following the years of decline in 2003 and 2004 . With MotoGP machines reduced in capacity from 990 cc to an 800 cc maximum displacement, 1,000 cc Superbikes, both at World Championship and top national championships ( AMA Superbike and British Superbike ) become the largest capacity bikes (but not the most powerful) being road raced in 2007 . While superbikes remained two or more seconds per lap slower than MotoGP bikes at most tracks where both raced, they had equal or more power. Troy Bayliss attempted to defend his title, riding once again
2856-622: Was a 4th place at the Dutch grand prix. He raced an Aprilia 250. For the 2002 season, Guintoli became the test driver for the Yamaha team, so he did not raced full-time that year. He raced his first MotoGP race at the Czech race for the French Yamaha Tech 3 team, having qualified 21st and finished 17th. This was his last race of the year, as he returned to his test drive position until
SECTION 50
#17327798240482912-609: Was able to dominate the championship for many years, but the 750 cc was second or third each year between 1994 and 1999. Held under the FIM , the Formula TT from 1977 to 1989 once constituted the official motorcycle World Cup. Having proven itself both popular and commercially viable, it was decided by the end of the 1990 season to end the Formula TT and the Superbike World Championship would succeed it. From 1993 to 1999 Carl Fogarty and Ducati dominated, Fogarty won
2968-478: Was crowned champion after obtaining the third-place finish he needed to secure the title victory at Jerez. The season saw the revision of the Superpole format: riders placed from eleventh to twentieth position in the combined classification of the first three practice sessions were admitted to Superpole 1, then the two fastest SP1 riders progressed to Superpole 2, which finally awarded the pole position , joining
3024-460: Was dominated by Troy Bayliss of Australia, on his Ducati 1098, who concluded his season and his career with a double win at the brand new, 195-million-Euro Portimao circuit in Portugal, after which he retired. During the offseason, Yamaha lost Noriyuki Haga to Ducati , who signed him to replace the retired Troy Bayliss . His place was taken by 3-times AMA champion Ben Spies , who was expected to give Haga serious competition. Ben Spies took
3080-511: Was founded in 1988 . The Superbike World Championship consists of a series of rounds held on permanent racing facilities. Each round has two full length races and, from 2019, an additional ten-lap sprint race known as the Superpole race. The results of all three races are combined to determine three annual World Championships, one for riders , one for manufacturers and, as of 2024, a Teams World Championship. The motorcycles that race in
3136-464: Was won by Toprak Razgatlıoğlu . Álvaro Bautista won his first championship and Ducati 's 18th manufacturer title. Jules Cluzel Jules Cluzel (born 12 October 1988 in Montluçon , Allier ) is a French former motorcycle racer . After retiring from competition in 2022, from 2023 he is a rider-coach for Yamaha Thailand, a Supersport World Championship team. In 2019 he competed in
#47952