In this week’s Rewind we revisit an edition of The Point from 2010 which quizzes riders and team owners on the state of ASBK regulations and whether or not the move to standardised, Superstock-spec rules should be made.

It’s still a hotly-debated topic, and it’s interesting to not only consider the responses from the original article but also where the riders are today.

The debate about Superbike specifications is still on-going in 2013. Image: Andrew Gosling/TBG Sport.

Most top-level riders were and still are in favour of the current-spec Superbikes, particularly given they already are developed to a lesser extent to those that are raced in world championship competition.

The man that went on to win the 2010 ASBK title, and now Australia’s sole representative in the MotoGP class, Bryan Staring supported keeping the Superbike rules as they were. Remember, he made a fairly successful transition to World Superstock 1000 racing the season following.

Shannon Johnson, who endured a fairly tough year on the KTM factory Superbike in 2010, shared a similar view to most riders; if the aspiration is to race overseas, then lowering the spec of the Superbikes will only make the gap that much bigger and harder to bridge for Australian riders.

Paul Free, who led Ducati’s brief factory foray in 2010, and Geoff Winzer, both shared the view that the (then) current rules were spot on.

Craig Coxhell, who was at the time making strong progress on his Superstock BMW S 1000 RR in amongst the Superbike field, saw the argument from both sides. From the rider’s perspective, it is better to race the Superbike as is, because the engine is faster and there’s greater control to be had. From the perspective of those that pay the bills, he said it would probably be easier and cheaper to run the bikes as Superstock bikes.

Yamaha’s standpoint, by way of comment from motorsport manager Ray Howard, has remained consistent since 2010. “We’re all for a more stock or standardised rule set in the Superbike class,” he said. “We did go as far as to make a dollar comparison, which was self-explanatory. That’s about all we have to say about it.”

It’s not a black-and-white issue, that’s for sure, so it’s little wonder that debate continues. 2014 may see some changes but that would require compromise. For the sake of the sport and those that make a living from it we can only hope that the grids begin to grow again.

Click here to read the original feature (you’ll be taken in a separate window to CycleOnline’s partner site, MotoOnline).