World Superbikes set to gain new 300cc supersport class?

The World Superbike championship is provisionally set to gain a new low-cost class from 2017, with the FIM Superbike Committee beginning the groundwork for the class at their last meeting.

The series, which will run alongside WSB and WSS, and has been be provisionally titled Supersport 300, is set to attract the new generation of A2-licence compliant sports bikes. These include KTM’s RC390, which is already being used in a number of one-make series worldwide, and Yamaha’s new R3, which launches this week.

However, with different capacities across the range of available models (the KTM is 375cc, the Yamaha 321cc, and Honda’s CBR300 a mere 268cc), writing a set of rules that unify the manufacturers while still providing competitive racing may prove difficult.

To that end, the FIM and series organisers Dorna have asked manufacturers to provide a sample of models they envision homologating, in order to begin drafting a set of technical regulations.

The goal of the Committee is to have these regulations in place in time for a 2015 approval, with an eye to launching the new series alongside World Superbikes in 2017.

The class could provide an important stepping stone for younger riders wishing to move up through the superbike classes. Traditionally, the only route is for riders to jump straight from a GP spec 125cc or 250cc bike to a superstock 600 machine.