There’s a lot of action to process on a typical WorldSBK weekend, but we’re here with a handy guide to help keep you on track.
Most motorsports have a fairly standard format across a weekend. There’s multiple practice sessions and qualifying sessions. Some series, such as Formula 1 and MotoGP also feature sprint races. Finally, there’s the main race itself. Easy right?
Well hold on to your hats, because World Superbikes have taken that weekend format and redesigned it with their own flavour.
Free Practice
Friday sees riders taking to the track for two Free Practice sessions. Free Practice 1, takes place on Friday morning, whilst Free Practice 2 takes place later in the afternoon. Both sessions run for the same length of time (45 minutes) and allow teams and riders to get valuable data. It’s an opportunity to get a feel for the bikes and for the track itself, and make any adjustments that may be needed.
On Saturday morning, there’s Free Practice 3. This is a shorter session, lasting for just 20 minutes, but it’s the final chance for teams to get some free running out on track. Times set by riders in any of the Free Practice sessions do not count towards setting the grid.
Tissot Superpole
The first timed action comes during Saturday’s Tissot Superpole. This is a qualifying session, where the lap times set by riders count towards setting grid positions. And here’s where it starts to get tricky.
The Tissot Superpole sets the full grid positions for Race 1 and the Tissot Superpole Race. But it also determines the positions for the starting grid of Race 2, but only from 10th onwards. The top nine spots on the grid for Race 2 are set by the Tissot Superpole Race.
Warm Up
The first on-track activity on Sunday morning is the Warm Up. This is a 10 minute session where riders can make sure the bikes are set up as needed and ready to race. It’s also another chance to scope out the track ahead of any actual racing.
The Warm Up is not to be confused with the Warm Up Lap, which is a single lap run immediately before the race starts.
Tissot Superpole Race
This is the WorldSBK equivalent of a Sprint Race. It’s a Sunday morning 10 lap dash, with plenty of battles from start to finish. The top nine grid positions for Race 2 are established from the results of the Superpole Race, and there are valuable points on offer too.
Win the Superpole Race, and you are awarded 12 championship points. Second gets you nine points, and third gets you seven points. From there on, the points decrease by one for each position, with the last point being awarded to whoever finishes ninth.
Race 1 & Race 2
As we’ve already mentioned, there are two main races held on a WorldSBK weekend. Race 1 takes place on Saturday afternoon, whilst Race 2 is held on Sunday afternoon. Both races are generally between 18-22 laps, depending on the circuit being used, and both races award championship points.
For the race winner, there’s 25 points on offer. If you finish second, you’ll get 20 points, whilst third will earn you 16 points. Fourth place is awarded 13 points, and fifth is given 11 points. The points then decrease by one for each position until the final point is awarded to the 15th rider.
Penalties
In WorldSBK there are a number of penalties that can be issued by the FIM Stewards Panel for any rules infringements. This can be for breaches of the technical regulations, failing to wear the correct gear, and failing drug tests. However, they are more commonly seen being used for riders who haven’t complied with the various rules on-track. Racing infringements can include exceeding track limits, jump starts, speeding in the pit lane and riding irresponsibly.
The decision on which penalty to apply will take a number of things into account – the severity of a rules infringement, the degree of fault, and the conduct of the offender.
What Penalties Can Be Issued?
There’s a number of penalties available, including:
- Warnings (can be made privately or publicly, and without a hearing).
- Fines that can go up to an eye-watering €100,000 (roughly £86.9k). They can also issue fines of up to €1000 (£869) without a hearing.
- Time Penalties that can affect a rider’s actual result in a race by up to two minutes.
- Drop of Position – the rider must go back the number of positions decided by the Stewards Panel
- Long Lap Penalty – the rider must complete the pre-defined route of the Long Lap, which is on an unpainted asphalt runoff area defined by white lines on either side.
- Double Long Lap Penalty – a rider must complete the Long Lap penalty twice.
- Ride Through Penalty – the rider must ride through the pit lane without stopping before re-joining the race.
- Grid Penalties mean a drop of any number of grid positions or the imposition of starting the race from the pit lane exit at the rider’s next race or next event.
- Disqualification – the invalidation of results that can be applied either during or after an event. Immediate disqualification from a practice session or race will be pronounced by means of a black flag (or a black flag with an orange disc).
- Withdrawal of championship points, which can apply to any championship races already run.
- Suspension – the loss of rights to participate for a specified period of time in any activity under FIM control. The application may be conditionally deferred for up to a maximum of two years.
- Exclusion is the most extreme punishment that a rider can be given. They aren’t handed out lightly, and are the final and complete loss of all rights to participate in any activity under FIM control.
Check It Out
And there you have it, the whirlwind tour of a WorldSBK weekend is complete. I’ll admit that it took some getting used to when I first started watching, as I was used to the MotoGP weekend format. But after a while, you realise that the racing is just as good as the premier class (sometimes even better!).
There’s plenty of other action to enjoy over a WorldSBK weekend too, with support races from a number of categories including World Supersport (WorldSSP), World Sportbike (WorldSPB) and the FIM Women’s Circuit Racing (WorldWCR). If you already enjoy MotoGP and want to get into something new, or you’re looking to try two-wheeled racing for the first time, then why not give them all a go?
Feature image courtesy of Honda HRC