Higgs: BSB Showdown here to stay

MCE British Superbike series director Stuart Higgs says the end-of-season Showdown format will stay in the championship for the foreseeable future.

After its initial introduction in 2010 the Showdown format has been ever-present in BSB to ensure dramatic championship finishes, something Higgs is keen to maintain and prevent any rider from winning the title with multiple races to spare.

In the current Showdown format, after the first nine rounds the top six riders are all promoted to 500 points and awarded Podium credits based on how many podiums each rider notched up during the 'main season' (5 credits for a win, 3 for a second and 1 for a third).

"The Showdown is here to stay," Higgs said. "It is a bit of a marmite topic but since its introduction in 2010 there has never been an anticlimactic end to the year.

"No one is ever going to forget 2011 between John Hopkins and Tommy Hill and I think the Showdown is almost a guarantee to the public, the teams and the sponsors that the championship will be decided on the last race of the last day of the season. That is what sports entertainment is all about."

Heading to Oulton Park which hosts the last round before the Showdown takes effect, only championship leader Josh Brookes and defending champion Shane Byrne have secured Showdown places with the remaining four spots up for grabs this weekend.

Higgs also says he'd never shy away from trying out new ideas with a prime example being the King of Brands challenge introduced at Brands Hatch in July. The one-off contest offered riders the opportunity to sacrifice their front row qualifying position and start from the back for a potential reward of double points and a generous cash prize.

"I'd never be ashamed to say I'm open to ideas from any sport," Higgs explained. "It is important to see what peoples habits are in their leisure time and what it is that people want to see. We want to try to turn it into a package that we can deliver through British Superbikes. If there is an idea or concept that is seen in another part of the world and it is adaptive we will try it."

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