SINCE the current Superbike World Championship rules were established in 2008, twin cylinder machines have had to carry a six kilogram (6 kg) weight penalty compared with four cylinder bikes, as well as a 50mm intake restriction.
When this regulation was established, it was with the proviso that if 1200cc twins ended up struggling to be competitive with 1000cc fours, then the weight limit and/or the intake restriction, would be adjusted, as stipulated in Article 2.4.4.2 of the FIM rulebook.
Following round six of this year's championship at Kyalami in South Africa, the weight penalty on the twins has been adjusted. They will now have a 3 kg weight penalty. The minimum weight for twin cylinder machines is now 165 kg, effective from round seven at Miller Miller Motorsports Park, Utah, USA on May 29-30. Four cylinder 1000cc bikes still enjoy a lower minimum weight of 162 kg and no intake restrictions.
The weight adjustment was announced by the FIM Superbike Technical Director Fazi Fabio who revealed that the average value of the event points averages over the first six events of the 2010 HANNspree Superbike World Championship favours the 1000cc fours by more than five points per event. In fact, the event average points disparity for twin cylinder machines is 6.92 points, twins averaging 13.46 points per event compared with 20.38 points for four cylinder machines in this year's championship.
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