The 2013 World Superbike Championship is dune-and-dusted with the fight going down to the wire at the final round in Jerez, Spain. After loosing the title by half-a-point Kawasaki rider Tom Sykes was determined to let nothing get in his way to claim the title. Other than Kawasaki winning the title for the first time in 20 years, 2013 was full of championship changing stories. Today CycleOnline takes a look at the Top 10 stories that broke throughout the 2013 WSBK series.

Tom Sykes wins the WSBK title for Kawasaki

Checa retires: Former Superbike World Champion Carlos Checa announced his retirement from the sport that he has competed in for 20 years. The Spaniard announced this at the Jerez round and went on to confirm he will still be in the motorcycling fold as a Ducati ambassador. The 41-year-old raced across multiple championships including 250GP, 500GP/MotoGP and World Superbike categories. He was WSBK champion in 2011.

India no go: The newly-constructed Buddh International Circuit was supposed to host a WSBK round on 17 November as part of a three-year contract. Organisers Dorna World SBK Organisation (DWO) and the domestic promoter Jaypee Sports International (JPSI) cited operational challenges as the primary consideration. It was decided the round would not be replaced and that the season would have one less round.

Ducati split: After a troubling year for Ducati with poor results, rider injuries and Checa retiring, it all came to a climax when it was announced that Ducati and Team Alstare would not continue its partnership into the 2014 season. Alstare put the split down to the current economic climate and subsequent withdrawal of one of Alstare’s main partners.

BMW Motorrad officially full quits the WSBK championship.

BMW Motorrad quits: If you thought the Ducati/Alstare split was bad BMW Motorrad took it one step further announcing that it will quit the FIM World Superbike Championship at the end of the 2013 season. The Munich factory announced the pullout just five days after claiming its 11th race win since entering the class in 2009. The official BMW factory presence was withdrawn at the conclusion of the 2012 season, handing the reigns to the GoldBet-sponsored Feel Racing team, based in Italy.

Sykes wins the crown: After loosing the championship in 2012 by half-a-point, Briton’s Tom Sykes was determined to not let that happen again. Even though the championship fight went down to the wire at the final round in Spain, Sykes held on to win the title by 23 points over Aprilia rider Eugene Laverty. This marks Kawasaki’s first WSBK title in 20 years since Scott Russell won it in 1993.

2014 cost-cutting rules and EVO specs: Like all industries suffering from the current economic climate, motorcycling racing was no different. Instead of waiting for the inevitable WSBK took the initiative to cut costs and change the rules to make the 2014 season more financially viable for the teams. From 2014 onwards, riders would be limited to eight engines per season, and limits would also be placed on gear ratios. Price caps would also be set on both brakes and suspension to ensure a level field of play.

Carlos Checa retires after 20 years of racing on the world stage.

Full EVO-spec by 2015: After the cost-cutting measures and EVO-spec class was announced by the FIM, it was then announced that WSBK would adopt the EVO regulations full-time in 2015. All bikes would have to comply with the EVO technical regualtions to be eligible to race. So in other words 2014 is the last year of the full-blown prototype-type superbikes.

Andrea Antonelli succumbs to injuries: Without doubt the lowest point of the season was when Italian World Supersport contender Andrea Antonelli sadly succumbed to his injuries sustained in the opening lap crash at Moscow Raceway in Russia. The 25-year-old Goeleven Kawasaki rider was hit by Lorenzo Zanetti after falling from his bike in the wet conditions in the straight between turns 14 and 15. The event was subsequently cancelled and all remaining races called off. The WSBK paddock and greater motorcycle community paid tribute to the Italian rider, who is remembered as a great talent and a likeable personality.

Nurburgring carnage: In a crash-filled round of WSBK racing three front-running riders sustained injuries in the final day of racing at the Nurburgring, Germany. Kawasaki’s Loris Baz was the first to fall, crashing on a warm-up lap fracturing his C2 vertebrae. Race one brought the undoing of both Jonathan Rea (Pata Honda) and Fixi Cresent Suzuki’s rider leon Camier. Rea broke his left femur after a high-speed fall while the latter was transported to hospital with possible neck injuries before given the all clear. Both these riders crashed in a high-speed section of the track where oil had been deposited, many questions were asked regarding how this situation was handled at the time.

Points for Aitchison in WSBK guest ride: Aussie Mark Aitchison had a very up-and-down 2013 WSBK racing season. It was a looking promising for Atcho when he was signed by Effenbert Liberty Racing to ride their Ducati. This deal went as quick as it came when the team withdraw their single-bike entry, leaving Atcho without a ride. Atcho was then called up by his former Team Pedercini Kawasaki to race as a replacement rider at the Silverstone round and the season remainder. The Aussie didn’t disappoint, coming home with multiple point-scoring finishes including top 10 finishes to round out the season at Jerez.