Attention in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship has turned to 2025 after an epic 2024 season concluded, and the SBK Commission has now clarified and changed regulations for next season. Among the changes include details about the allow fuel flow rate for next season as it comes into force and limitations on aerodynamic appendices as well as a logistical measure to reduce the number of tyres used in an event. You can read the full SBK Commission details HERE.

SPORTING REGULATION CHANGES: tyre reduction, potential yellow flag sanctions

• For the WorldSBK class, there is a restriction on testing that has been set to reduce development costs. A clarification of the authorised test days has been made.
   
• In the WorldSBK category, a logistical measure to reduce the number of tires tyres used during the event was introduced.
   
• With the recently introduced rules on the minimum age of riders to compete in the FIM Supersport World Championship, it has been decided to grant exemptions for:
  • the top 3 of the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship;
  •  the top 3 of the FIME Moto2™ European Championship;
  • the top 3 of the FIME Stock European Championship;

of any season to compete in the 2025 Supersport World Championship, even if the rider has not reached the minimum age.

However, for these exceptions to apply, the minimum age of 17 years is required.

• Although the current rules regarding yellow flags/lights provide for sanctions if they are not respected, the SBK Commission has decided to tighten the rules in order to protect track marshals even more. From now on, riders must slow down sufficiently to ensure the safety of other riders and trackside personnel. A rider who does not slow down in a yellow flag situation could be sanctioned more severely than currently.
   
• For the FIM Women’s Circuit Racing World Championship, the minimum time to achieve for being Qualified was fixed at 110% of the fastest rider of the class.
   
• A WorldWCR race that has started in dry conditions may be interrupted if the weather conditions change and the track becomes wet.

TECHNICAL REGULATIONS: fuel flow rates announced, aero restrictions in place

• For the WorldSBK class, a limitation of the fuel flow will be put in place to limit the performance of the engines. As Ffrom 2025, the starting fuel flow limit for all manufacturers is defined at 47 Kg/H.  A tolerance of 2 grams per lap beyond the 47 Kg/H limit was defined. For 2026, the limit will be decided at the end of July 2025 after analysis of the first part of season, according to the roadmap shared with the manufacturers.
   
• The rules applied in MotoGP™ regarding the attachment of winglets/aerodynamic appendices will be applied: under normal operating conditions, the attachment must have a maximum deflection of 10 mm at any point, when a vertical load of 50 N is applied downwards with a 20 mm radius spherical steel indenter.
   
• In WorldSBK class, the marking of a new “virgin” frame part is free, but it must contain the model code registered at the FIM Homologation of the motorcycle. It was decided that the reading procedure of the new marking must be declared by each manufacturer to the FIM Technical Director prior to the season starts.
   
• The SBK Commission is continuously working on the introduction of a new entry class to the Motul MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship in 2026, marking a significant evolution in the racing landscape. This new class will replace the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship (WorldSSP300), which has successfully served as a feeder class since its inception in 2017. The progress of the work, the choice of the eligible machines and their homologations were discussed.

Check out the full decisions HERE and get set for the 2025 season using the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

The latest MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship campaign is in the history books and records were broken throughout the season. From Toprak Razgatlioglu’s (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) incredible winning streak to manufacturers reaching milestones and much more, there were some interesting numbers to come out of the 2024 season. We’ve gathered just some of the key numbers for you to enjoy…

1100 – Bautista’s second place in the Superpole Race at Magny-Cours was Ducati’s 1100^th podium. They ended the season on 1125 rostrums

578/593 – van der Mark raced the most laps in 2024, totalling 578; for contrast, in 2022 and 2023, the Dutchman completed 628 (318 in 2023, 310 in 2022) in his injury-hit campaigns. The next highest this season was Gerloff with 568 and Locatelli with 567. The most possible in 2024 was 593.

550 – Alex Lowes took Kawasaki’s 550^th WorldSBK rostrum when he finished third in the Superpole Race at Portimao

248 – Despite missing six races through injury, Razgatlioglu led 248 laps this year: the most of anyone, and almost twice as many as Bulega (127) in second place

50 – Razgatlioglu’s Superpole Race win at Most was his 50^th in WorldSBK; he’s now on 57, two shy of Carl Fogarty’s 59 in third place in the all-time list, and six behind Bautista in second place

32/18/12 – BMW have 32 wins in WorldSBK, 19 of which came this season (18 for Razgatlioglu, 1 for van der Mark). They also have 12 pole positions, half of which came this year from Razgatlioglu

27/30 – Razgatlioglu finished on the podium 27 times in his 30 races, or 90% of the time, in 2024

17/2 – Bautista crashed the most in WorldSBK this year, with 17 falls (same as Sam Lowes). In contrast, Razgatlioglu fell only twice

15 – 15 riders were separated by one second in Superpole at Portimao, the joint second-most in history, level with Sugo in 1997 and Kyalami in 2009. Magny-Cours, Assen and Portimao hold the record at 16

13 – Razgatlioglu took 13 wins in a row in 2024, setting a new record in WorldSBK

12 – 12 different riders led laps in 2024, the highest number since 2018

12 – Alex Lowes recorded double-digit podium finishes for the first time in a single WorldSBK campaign. His previous best was nine, in 2019

11/3 – Razgatlioglu became the 11^th rider to have at least two WorldSBK titles, and the third to win with two different manufacturers (after James Toseland and Troy Corser)

8 – There were 8 different winners this season, for the first time since 2009: Bulega, Bautista, Razgatlioglu, van der Mark, Spinelli, Petrucci, Alex Lowes and Iannone

4 – There were four new winners in 2024, all from Italy: Bulega, Spinelli, Petrucci and Iannone. This is a record for the country, beating the previous tally of three from 1988, when Tardozzi, Lucchinelli and Priovano won. It’s also the first time there have been four new winners since 2008, when Nieto, Neukirchner, Checa and Kiyonari claimed victory

4 – Bautista’s four wins in 2024 is the first time with Ducati in WorldSBK he didn’t score at least 16 wins

0.003 – Bulega’s Superpole Race win over Razgatlioglu at Estoril by just 0.003s was the closest-ever finish in WorldSBK

Relive the best moments from an unforgettable WorldSBK campaign using the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

2024 was a special year for Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) and BMW as the Turkish rider secured his second MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship crown, and BMW’s first. 18 wins in total, including 13 in a row, meant he secured the title in style in his first season on the M 1000 RR and now the two-time World Champion reflected on his latest success, silencing the doubters and the 2024 season as a whole.

A TWO-TIME WORLD CHAMPION: “When I stopped at the first corner, almost all riders stopped for me…”

Razgatlioglu secured his second World Championship crown in Race 1 at Jerez as he finished second behind Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), pulling out an unassailable lead over the rookie sensation. After winning the 2021 title with Yamaha, he became BMW’s first WorldSBK Champion after his bombshell move to the German manufacturer for this season, with his 2024 campaign including a record-breaking 13 wins in a row.

Explaining his thoughts immediately after winning the title, the two-time Champion said: “My feeling after securing the world title… I’m really happy. We deserve it. We’re the World Champions now with BMW. For me, it’s been an amazing season. It’s my second world title but my first one was for my dad; this one is for myself. The first one is always difficult and very special but I’m happy. When I stopped at the first corner, almost all the riders stopped for me. Alvaro stopped again after his crash. I’m very happy because this was like a family moment and I’m happy riding with everyone in the WorldSBK paddock.”

PROVING PEOPLE WRONG: “Nobody believed in the BMW… my brother also didn’t believe; now, he’s very happy!”

Razgatlioglu left a race-winning package with the Yamaha R1 to join a team and bike which hadn’t won since 2021 before his Race 1 win in Barcelona. Their last victory came at Portimao in a mixed-conditions Tissot Superpole Race, thanks to Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team). It led to plenty of scepticism about whether it would be a good move for ‘El Turco’, with Razgatlioglu discussing this subject in the special interview.

“Nobody believed in the BMW, and nobody believed in me when I signed,” he began. “Everyone said, ‘This is not the right decision, why sign for BMW? You are crazy’. My brother also didn’t believe! He was worried and said, ‘Why are you signing with BMW? No one wins with this bike’. I said, ‘Calm, we have plans. If we’re Champion with BMW, this is a very important title for me’. Now, he’s very happy. When I moved to BMW, the feeling was very warm and very hungry for the title. Everyone worked very hard and, Mickey helped me. This is good teamwork, not just on my side but from everyone. We’re like a family. I’m very happy for BMW and for the team. Normally I don’t like the #1 a lot, I prefer the #54, but BMW deserve it; for BMW, I will use the #1.”

INCREDIBLE START TO HIS BMW CAREER: “When I started with a hat-trick, I did another one because every race weekend, I was more relaxed”

Razgatlioglu’s first race on the M 1000 RR came in Australia and he was immediately on the rostrum in the Superpole Race, before claiming two victories in Round 2 in Barcelona – with two different types of victory. A tyre management masterclass in Race 1 and a Valentino Rossi-style last-corner, last-lap pass in the Superpole Race gave him his first two BMW wins. After one win at Assen, the 28-year-old went on a run of four consecutive hat-tricks to give him a record 13 wins in a row and he took control of the Championship fight.

On the first half of 2024, the Turkish superstar said: “The first race weekend in Australia, especially the Superpole Race, I passed Alvaro on the straight for the first time. This was very fun, and I was smiling a bit in the helmet. I got the podium. When we got to Catalunya, I won the first race. This was incredible. In the Superpole Race, it was incredible; I didn’t give up, I was just pushing and thinking immediately after Turn 10 that, many years ago, Rossi did it at the last corner. If I’m close enough, I’ll try. When I won the Catalunya race, I thought, ‘This year, it looks like it’s possible to be World Champion’. Catalunya, for me, is a very hard circuit but we won there. My mentality changed when I did the hat-trick at Misano. Ducati are very strong there. I did the first hat-trick, and the mental side was perfect. I’m happy. When I got the first hat-trick, I did another one because every race weekend, I was more relaxed.”

MAGNY-COURS CRASH: “When I went to the doctor for the check at Aragon, the doctor said it was fine and I almost cried!”

Razgatlioglu’s title charge threatened to unravel in FP2 at Magny-Cours when he lost control of his BMW machine early on in the session, before he hit the wall at Turns 14 and 15. He was diagnosed with pneumothorax, which ruled him out of racing in France as well as the full weekend at Cremona, although he returned for MotorLand Aragon with his Championship lead cut but Bulega had been unable to take full advantage of Razgatlioglu’s absence, with the Turkish rider maintaining his lead.

Reflecting on the crash, and the impact it had on him both physically and mentally, Razgatlioglu said: “When I got to the last sector, I lost the front. I hit the wall and, after, when I stopped, I understood that I wasn’t taking a breath. I turned immediately, I tried to breathe again. I took very short breaths and it started to come back. When I went back to the hospital, I wasn’t good because my lung had a lot of air inside. After the crash, every day I was thinking about my target. I just tried to come back very quickly and fight for the title again. I tried to come back at Cremona, and we checked the scan again, but I still had air in my lung, but just a little bit. The doctors said this was very dangerous. If I didn’t come back at Aragon, I think I would lose the Championship. When I went to the doctors for the check at Aragon, the doctor said it was fine and I almost cried. After Aragon, when I finally went back to Turkey, I ate very special food with my mum, and I did a lot of training at Kenan’s track. My mental side got stronger. When I got to Estoril, I felt like Toprak.”

PRAISE FOR BULEGA: “I think he’s the next World Champion”

The title fight went down to the wire between Razgatlioglu and Bulega, with the #11 putting in some sensational performances in his rookie campaign as he exceeded everyone’s expectations. Bulega finished second in the end but that didn’t stop Razgatlioglu declaring the Italian as WorldSBK’s next World Champion.

He said: “In general, this year, we didn’t fight a lot with Bulega, but he did an incredible job. Everyone was very surprised that he did such a good job in his first year. He looks like a big talent. I think he’s the next World Champion. Next year, he’ll be stronger. I hope we are too!”

Relive some of the best moments from Razgatlioglu’s title-winning campaign using the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com

Ana Carrasco (Evan Bros Racing Yamaha Team) made more history in 2024 by becoming the first FIM Women’s Circuit Racing World Championship title winner, defeating Maria Herrera (Klint Forward Factory Team) in a final round showdown ay Jerez. The 27-year-old became a two-time World Champion with her success, and she’s now reflected on her second title, discussing how she bounced back from some tricky years, the 2024 campaign and her rivals.

BOUNCING BACK FROM ‘DIFFICULT’ TIMES: “At some point, it’s difficult to keep believing that you’re still competitive…”

Carrasco has endured some tough years recently, with serious injuries and a difficult time in Moto3™ before she returned to the WorldSBK paddock to compete in the inaugural WorldWCR campaign. A back injury in testing at Estoril in September 2020 forced her to undergo surgery, but she returned to action in 2021 in WorldSSP300. The #22 then returned to Moto3™ for 2022 and remained there until this year when she starred in the first-ever WorldWCR season, on the back of a leg injury sustained towards the back end of last year.

Reflecting on her success following a difficult period, the Spaniard said: “I’ve come from three or four really difficult seasons, with my back injury and then last year with my leg. At some point, it’s difficult to keep believing that you’re still competitive and to prove that I’m still a winning rider; I had a lot of people around me during this period that was difficult, so I give them this World Championship. It was a dream to race in the World Championship. Not many people have this opportunity and to win two times is crazy. I need a little bit more time to realise this. I’m super proud of me and all the people that helped me arrive here.”

EARLY PART OF 2024: “I think my experience in WorldSSP300 helped me a lot…”

The first WorldWCR season featured 12 races across six rounds, with the Murcia-born rider claiming a rostrum in every single race, split evenly across the three podium places: winning four races, taking second four times and third four times. That helped her secure the title, her second World Championship after the 2018 WorldSSP300 crown, and Carrasco reflected on her standout season as she made more motorsport history.

“I knew that I had to finish every race, try to not make mistakes,” Carrasco began. “When I could win, I had to, but when I couldn’t, I had to finish on the podium. Being on the podium in every race is something I’ve never achieved before. We had a lot of races, but it was a short Championship, and I think my experience in WorldSSP300 helped me a lot. As a rider, I always wanted to achieve my goals and dreams. I expected to start at Misano a little bit better. I went back to Donington, really motivated to try to win again. I was really fast there, and I wanted to win both races, but I wasn’t able to! Portimao was a nice weekend for me. I had a problem with the bike in Race 1, so I didn’t show my potential in that race, but I was able to win Race 2, and this was a key point for me.”

TITLE SECURED AT JEREZ: “My strategy was to push from the beginning… her strategy was the opposite”

Carrasco had match point at Jerez and duly converted that after a game of cat and mouse with Herrera, with the pair going for opposite strategies. Carrasco was aiming to pull away from the group but Herrera, needing the #22 to finish further down the order, tried to back the pack up and put more pressure on Carrasco. In the end, a final corner crash between Sara Sanchez (511 Terra&Vita Racing Team) and Herrera meant strategy went out the window as Carrasco secured the title.

On the final round, Carrasco said: “Jerez was, honestly, quite easy for me because I was just focused on the job; being fast in Free Practice, in Superpole and trying to win Race 1. My strategy was to push from the beginning because I wanted to keep the group as short as possible. Her strategy was the opposite. She wanted to slow down the group. It’s normal because she needed more riders in the group. I was just focusing on passing Ponziani. I tried to pass them on the back straight, but the group was too big. I was quite sure I could pass Ponziani on the last lap because my braking there was good. When I saw her crashing, I didn’t have time to think because it was the last corner! I’d just passed Ponziani so fourth position was enough for me when Herrera was second. When she was out, I was sure the Championship was mine!”

RIVALRIES IN 2024: “Sara and Beatriz had a really good Championship… it was a title battle between Maria and me!”

2024 in WorldWCR was defined by four riders consistently at the front – Carrasco, Herrera, Sanchez and Beatriz Neila (Ampito / Pata Prometeon Yamaha), with three of the four often on the rostrum. In the end, the title fight came down to Carrasco vs Herrera, with the former winning it at Jerez, although Sanchez claimed two victories and Neila stood on the podium on several occasions. One flashpoint came at Cremona when Sanchez collided with Herrera on the final lap, taking both out of the race with Carrasco securing victory.

Discussing her rivals, and Cremona where Sanchez and Herrera crashed on the final lap, Carrasco said: “Sara and Beatriz had a really good Championship. They’ve been battling for us in almost every race, and they deserve to be in this position today. I think the battle was fair. In the end, it was a title battle between Maria and me. It’s good to battle with someone like her. We’re quite different riders. The last lap at Cremona was a bit crazy. It’s something that can happen because we’re all pushing to the limit, we were approaching the last braking point at Cremona. In the end, I achieved victory which was really important for the Championship. To lead the Championship was important at that moment of the season because, after Cremona, I was more relaxed, and she was more nervous.”

Re-watch Carrasco’s best moments from her title-winning campaign on the WorldWCR YouTube channel and join the community on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and Instagram!

Source: WorldSBK.com

The 2024 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship is done and dusted but that doesn’t mean you can’t relive the incredible season. There were 12 rounds of incredible, breath-taking action throughout the year and each one had a bespoke Official Programme created for it to enhance the experience of spectators. Now, you can purchase all 12 programmes in one pack from the WorldSBK Store to ensure you have a souvenir from an unbelievable season.

Each Official Programme contains stories from the paddock, both contemporary and about icons of WorldSBK. There’s also a detailed circuit guide with lots of information about each track’s most famous corner, or most challenging aspect. Each programme contains some of the best photographs of the season and the 12-issue collection comes with a hard cover box to protect them from wear, making this a must-have purchase.

Get more information about the Official Programme collection on the WorldSBK Store!

Relive a fantastic 2024 season in style using the WorldSBK VideoPass!

Source: WorldSBK.com