GSE responds to weight confirmation.

GSE Racing, which runs the championship leading Airwaves Ducati team, has repeated its opposition to the 'wholly unjustified' twin-cylinder minimum weight increase - now confirmed as taking effect from this weekend's Snetterton round - but is pleased that a 2kg tolerance has been included.

"We firmly believe that this weight increase is wholly unjustified, and has been made without any regard to the actual performance comparison between the Ducati 1098R Superbike and its four cylinder competitors," said a team statement.

"However, following a meeting with the MCRCB at Brands Hatch on Friday, we are pleased that they agreed to our proposal to provide a tolerance of 2kg to the minimum weight of 175kg thereby allowing us to be able to continue our racing activities in this years British Superbike Championship, whilst keeping to within the safe dry weight parameters as instructed by Ducati Corse."

The introduction of the new twin-cylinder minimum weight, which is 10kg higher than the previous value, was due to take place prior to Donington Park - but was subsequently delayed on safety grounds.

Following further discussions, the weight increase was confirmed in a statement released by the MCRCB on June 6, but with the new 2kg tolerance also in place.

The 1200cc twins began the season with the same 165kg minimum weight as the 1000cc four-cylinders, although the average post-race weight of a 1098R during the first three rounds was actually 170.46kg.

Championship leader Shane Byrne then won both races at Donington Park with his bike weighing - on average - 173.15kg, meaning that the new 175kg limit is unlikely to have a major performance impact, especially given the 2kg tolerance.

"I am glad to have reached a satisfactory conclusion with the MCRCB to enable the Airwaves Ducati to compete in the remaining 2008 BSB championship races," declared GSE team principal Darrell Healey. "This has been a difficult and frustrating time for everyone involved with GSE Racing, but now it is time to put this matter behind us and concentrate all of our efforts into winning this year's championship."

Byrne will start this weekend's fifth round of the 2008 Bennetts British Superbike Championship holding a 68 point lead over HM Plant Honda's Cal Crutchlow. Byrne's team-mate Leon Camier is a further 15 points back in third place.

The other 1098 rider in the BSB class, North West 200's Michael Rutter, currently sits sixth in the standings.

It has been argued that the weight increase is designed to appease the four cylinder teams, some of whom had suggested that they are overstressing their engines to try and keep up with the 1098.

Unlike WSBK, which uses 'points averaging', there is no system in place for measuring the relative performance of twin and four cylinder machines in BSB. In WSBK the four cylinders weigh 6kg less than the twins.