News 14 Feb 2014

Superstock-spec regulations for 2014 ASBK?

Motorcycling Australia to further scale back Superbike specification.

Image: Andrew Gosling.

Image: Andrew Gosling.

Motorcycling Australia (MA) is poised to further reduce the specification of Superbike machinery in the 2014 Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) as part of its ongoing strategic plan to save the series.

Earlier this week MA and series promoter International Entertainment Group (IEG) announced a raft of changes to the series (click here for details), including a reduction to just three rounds and entry fees waived entirely, amongst other updates.

That announcement featured a list of classes scheduled to compete at each round, with references to Superbike featuring ‘production based rules’ alongside in brackets. It’s understood that an announcement could come as soon as today confirming the class will feature complete Superstock/Prostock regulations.

Previously, in December, MA announced that the 2014 ruleset would be a hybrid structure of sorts between previous Superbike and Prostock regulations (click here for details) in what was originally labelled a ‘trial year’, but it’s believed that proposal will be scrapped in favour of a more standardised setting.

The updated regulations will potentially make for an easier transition for competitors planning to compete in both the rival Australasian Superbike Championship (ASC) and ASBK. An open tyre policy is also intended to assist crossover entries.

MA’s response and continual revisions come in a controversy-filled month for the sport that has seen all factory-supported teams and a host of quality privateers either turn their attention to the ASC series or exit competition altogether.

A new EVO category has also been listed in recent documentation, taking shape as the ASBK’s answer to the ASC’s Formula Oz ranks – an open-style category without strict regulations. However, the EVO class will only allow capacities of 600cc and above.

The new-look Production class – formerly restricted to 250cc motorcycles – has also undergone a host of revisions, featuring three separately-scored classes of 250cc, 300cc and up to 500cc in a bid to cater for a variety of entry-level street bikes being released by manufacturers.

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