What’s this BSB business? A rookie guide to the championship

The BSB, British Superbike Championship, has been dubbed the greatest domestic biking race series in the world, but what’s it all about?

Motorcycle racing is big news if you’re a biker. Whether you’re a newbie to two wheels or have been in the game a while, part of being in the community is the sport of it all – the races. Maybe you’ve heard of MotoGP? MotoGP is like the Grand Prix of the biking world, and if MotoGP is the Daddy, BSB is the son.

Firstly, let’s clear up this MCE business. You may see these three words perched in front of BSB, that’s nothing to do with the sport itself, but they are a big reason the sport is able to continue. Every rider and rider team has a sponsor, and that goes for the championship too – this season it’s MCE rider Insurance, therefore the championship itself is officially titled MCE BSB / MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship.

What about the tech situation?

The bikes average over 180bhp, and can reach up to 200mph! A lap around the Brands Hatch circuit will average 86 seconds (which is 6 seconds faster than a touring car).

What defines a superbike?

Superbike racing motorcycles aren’t too disimilar from regular road bikes – this is part of the manufacturers motivation for including their bikes in the races – they’re a great advertisement for their road models. The bikes are 1,000 cc and can reach up to 200 bhp. The bikes should maintain the same profile as their road counterparts with the same appearance as seen from the front, rear and sides – the frame can’t be modified.

Which manufacturers compete?

There are six different manufacturers involved in the races which are spread across 22 different teams. The manufacturers that are involved in the race are listed below – more information regarding riders and their teams can be found here.

• Honda
• Suzuki
• Ducati
• Kawasaki
• Yamaha
• BMW

How is it run?

The season begins in April and runs all the way through to October. During the season there are a baker’s dozen worth of rounds (or 12 for those unfamiliar with catering jargon), and the races are held at different tracks all around the country. Every round is held over a weekend, and each round totals three days (they often coincide with a national holiday), the first day is practice, the second is qualifying and on the third, there are two MCE BSB races, each lasts around 30 minutes. The practice is, a practice, then comes the qualifying which determines the grid position for the first race, then the lap times from the first race are used to determine the grid positioning for the second. The first and second races are both equally weighted when it comes to points and standings in the league table. Here is the calendar for the 2015 season…

• Round 1: Donington Park GP – 04/05/06 April
• Round 2: Brands Hatch Indy – 17/18/19 April
• Round 3: Oulton Park – 2/3/4 May
• Round 4: Snetterton 300 – 19/20/21 June
• Round 5: Knockhill – 3/4/5 July
• Round 6: Brands Hatch GP – 17/18/19 July
• Round 7: Thruxton – 31/1/2 August
• Round 8: Cadwell Park – 21/22/23 August
• Round 9: Oulton Park – 4/5/6 September
• Round 10: TT Circuit Assen – 18/19/20 September
• Round 11: Silverstone GP – 2/3/4 October
• Round 12: Brands Hatch GP – 16/17/18 October

Photo credit: BSB

How does the league table work?

Every rider begins the season with 0 points. A rider who wins a race is awarded 25 points, then these continue in descending order for each position; 20, 16, 13, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 – if you don’t place in the top 15 then you win 0.

How is the Championship winner decided?

There are 38 riders racing this season and the riders that place within the first 15 spots in the race then total up to the leader board. These points accumulate over the season until the final three races – where the top six riders become the ‘Title Fighters’ in the events. Yes, absolutely, you could be placing sixth all season and then make it to the showdown and win the whole championship

Throughout the regular season, until and including race number nine each rider wins points as above (see ‘How Does the League Table work?’). In rounds 10, 11 and 12 each of the riders who placed within the top six become ‘title fighters.’ The title fighters are each assigned new points. They all begin with 500 points with additional podium points added to this for each position they obtained in the main season: 5 for first place, 3 for second place, 1 for third place. Then the final three rounds, there are seven races in total, continue with the usual race point scoring – 25 points for a win, 20 for second place etc. Then the rider with the most points – is the WINNER!

Then there are the cousins – BSB supporting leagues

Underneath the BSB are a few smaller leagues – if MotoGP is the daddy and BSB is the son then these must be the cousins of the motorcycle racing world. There are six of these in total…

1. Motorpoint British Supersport
2. HEL Performance Motostar British Championship – Taz Taylor, a local Mansfield rider, is sponsored by Two Wheel Centre and is currently top of the standings for this league with 106 points!
3. Pirelli National Superstock 1000
4. Pirelli National Superstock 600
5. Ducati TriOptions Cup
6. Santander Consumer Finance KTM British Junior Cup

The season’s already well underway and we post a round-up of the weekend’s races after they’ve happened… To get caught up, read about race one, two and three – or check back to the blog for our future updates.