Bosworth backs SBK unification.
Foggy Petronas Racing team manager Nigel Bosworth has backed the principle of unifying Superbike rules across the world.
Foggy Petronas Racing team manager Nigel Bosworth has backed the principle of unifying Superbike rules across the world.
New regulations are to be announced later in the summer and are not expected to feature the air-restrictors originally planned for next season. The aim is to make the World Superbike championship a series for true production motorcycles that are found on the retail market.
They are also designed to replicate the existing regulations used in the US, UK and Italian national Superbike Championships - but have alienated the manufactuers who now look likely to steer clear of the series next year.
"The fine detail of the new regulations has still to be finalised but, in principle, we agree with the idea of trying to keep costs down so that the series is more attractive to more manufacturers, producing bigger grids and tighter racing," declared Bosworth. "It's also a positive move to try and unify the rules across the domestic championships throughout the world.
"You only have to look at two recent instances, where John Reynolds used his British Superbike spec bike at the Brands round to come a comfortable second and when Mat Mladin raced in the AMA round at Laguna and lapped quicker than on his WSB spec bike in the WSB race.
"This gives everybody a good indication that the change in rules will make the four-cylinder and three-cylinder bikes competitive and at the same time keep the costs down," he added.
"If it is cheaper to develop engines to these regulations then it makes sense. Our engine will not be affected next year as we will be running the 900cc engine again. It is too early to say how any new regulations might affect us in the long term," Bosworth concluded.
However, whilst Bosworth may be pleased, team boss Carl Fogarty stated at Brands Hatch that he disagreed with the new rules, saying that they would take the series 'down a notch' - and that he'd be delighted if Petronas told him to take the team into MotoGP next year - something which is practically impossible.
