Introduced in 1988 to showcase the new generation of high-performance street sports bikes, the World Superbike Championship (WSB) quickly gained importance in the world of bike racing and now includes 15 rounds covering four continents and over ten countries. In some ways MotoGP can be seen as the F1 class of racing when compared to cars and WSB as the Touring Car class.

History
After a few early turbulent years, the championship flourished when the Italian Flammini Group (FGSport) took over running the series in the early Nineties. The new promoters took the championship to new and better venues and produced a consistent show which, by the mid-Nineties, challenged the GP series for popularity.

Part of the appeal of WSB was the relevance to the paying public. With all the major manufacturers participating, people could see the bikes they owned being raced while the riders themselves were more accessible and relaxed than their GP counterparts.

The evolution of MotoGP from the GP series saw manufacturers switch their attention back to that class, forcing WSB to once again reinvent itself in a bid to stay in contention for popularity. The result was a return to the values that made the championship great in the first place and continues to keep WSB in the heart of many race fans the world over.

The bikes used these days in the championship are all 1000cc and up sports bikes, like Yamaha’s YZF-R1, with limited engine tuning - a change from the highly-tuned 750cc four cylinder machines used in the early days of the championship. The organisers have also introduced a control slick race tyre, produced by Pirelli, giving all teams access to the same specification rubber to create closer and more exciting racing than ever before.

Today WSB also features many unique elements that make it stand out from other motorcycling world championships. Final qualifying positions for the Superbike races are decided by a single attack-lap on Saturday afternoon, known as Superpole, and race day features two 100km races with 25 points allocated for each win.

Regulations
A Superbike machine must remain in many aspects the same as the bike that can be bought in any dealership, including the body design. To be allowed to enter the WSB Championship every manufacturer must produce a minimum quantity of a bike that must also be commercially available to the general public.

Changes to the regulations for 2008 mean that two-cylinder machines up to 1200cc are allowed. The minimum weight limit for Superbikes is 162kg for four-cylinder machines and 168kg for two-cylinder 1200cc machines, although these bikes have greater restrictions placed on them in other areas. This rule change has been made to allow all manufacturers to continue competing in the championship whilst maintaining a fair but competitive challenge.