World Superbike announces 'super concessions' system

The change was decided upon in the most recent meeting of the FIM Superbike Commission at Portimao, and will be trialled during the final part of the 2022 season ahead of a full implementation next year.

It is the latest measure WSBK has taken in a bid to level the playing field between its various manufacturers, which began in earnest with the introduction of an adjustable rev limit and system of engine concessions for 2018.

The previous concessions system used a points system for the top three finishers in any main race (excluding Superpole races), but this has now been expanded to include the top five, with points to be calculated every three rounds.

These will be used to determine whether a manufacturer can qualify for the new 'super concessions', which would allow a qualifying brand to retrofit parts to its chassis that are not used in the production model.

Honda, which currently sits at the bottom of the manufacturers' standings in the third year of the new CBR1000RR-R, is expected to be a prime beneficiary of the new system should it continue to struggle for competitiveness.

Insiders suspect the Fireblade has a fundamental incompatibility with WSBK's control Pirelli tyres that can only be solved with new chassis parts that the regulations previously did not allow to be used without the introduction of an entirely new homologation - something Honda has ruled out for 2023.

A dominant victory in the Suzuka 8 Hours, where Bridgestone tyres are used instead of Pirellis, lends weight to this thesis.

#33 Team HRC, Tetsuta Nagashima

Photo by: Jun Goto

The new 'super concessions' system follows on from another measure that was announced earlier this year aimed at levelling the playing field, the use of concession points to determine testing restrictions.

One of the other changes decided upon at Portimao was that WSBK will follow sister championship MotoGP's lead in introducing E40 fuel, which contains 40 percent sustainable fuel content, in all classes from 2024.

Additionally, the price cap for WSBK homologation will be lifted from its current level of 40,000 euros due to worldwide economic conditions.

The exact amount by which it will be increased is yet to be made official, but it is likely to be set at around the 45,000 euro mark to accommodate the recently-revealed 2023 Ducati V4 R Panigale.