Rookies in name, World Champions in action. The ELF Marc VDS Racing Team have officially inaugurated a new chapter in their decorated history with their arrival in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship for 2024, alongside 2013 WorldSSP Champion Sam Lowes. The stunning Château de Modave in Southern Belgium hosted the inauguration of this new project alongside the established Moto2™ squad, putting on display for the first time the full scope of this new expansion.

FAMILIAR LIVERY, FAMILIAR FACES: The full details for 2024

The 33-year-old Lowes, a well-known face in the paddock after winning the WorldSSP Championship in 2013 (the third youngest rider in history to do so), will be making his full WorldSBK debut in 2024 after 10 seasons in the MotoGP™ paddock. He will have competitive machinery under him from the get-go, with a Ducati Panigale V4 R in the familiar Marc VDS livery. The team thus become the fourth independent team on the grid to use Ducati machinery.

Lowes will be surrounded by experienced faces in the WorldSBK paddock from the start, with Giovanni Crupi (Ducati mainstay and ex-crew chief to Scott Redding, along with others) as his crew chief for 2024. The rest of the crew has also been confirmed, with Stefano Guidi in charge of telemetry and a team of mechanics comprising Carmine Oliva, Marco Pascucci and Nicolas Guichard.

Moto2™ World Champions with Tito Rabat (2014), Franco Morbidelli (2017) and Alex Marquez (2020), as well as runners-up in 2013 (Scott Redding), 2014 (Mika Kallio) and as recently as last year with Tony Arbolino, and winners of a MotoGP™ race in 2016 with Jack Miller, few teams can boast the history of the Marc VDS Racing Team in the world of motorsport. How this will translate to the world of production-based racing is now the big challenge for 2024.

THE PROTAGONIST: “The goal is to fight at the front”

This new episode for both Marc VDS and Sam Lowes was announced all the way back in July, which has left the Englishmen plenty of time to prepare for the new chapter: “It’s a big new challenge for me to change category after a long time and I’m very happy and motivated to start. I’d like to say a huge thanks to Marc for asking me to be the first rider for his team in WorldSBK. The bike is beautiful and it’s an amazing feeling to ride a Ducati. The livery is fantastic and it’s so special to represent Marc and this team in WorldSBK.

“I’m really excited to continue working with my new crew chief Giovanni to progress my understanding of the bike. I just need to learn the bike, tyres, and format over a race weekend with the three races. The first goal in the tests will be to make the bike mine and feel comfortable. I just need laps and mileage on the bike to understand many things. But this will come and if we had to go racing today, I feel we could do a good job. The goal though is to fight at the front. I hope to be in the fight for podiums and wins and to learn a lot. Also being top Independent rider has to be a target.”

TEAM’S VIEW: “We know together we can make big things happen”

Team owner and founder Marc van der Straten is equally eager to see how far the new project can go in its debut season: “It was really beautiful and motivating to see our three machines with their talented riders on stage, and to know that they’re going to give their all to achieve the objectives set. In Moto2, with Tony Arbolino and Filip Salac, we’ll be continuing our quest for victories and podiums to try and win the World Championship. In the WorldSBK Championship, we face a big and exciting new challenge. Although we’re just starting out, we’re very well prepared and supported by the brilliant talent of Sam Lowes and the technical quality of Ducati. We know together we can make big things happen”.

Representing Ducati Corse, Technical Coordinator Marco Zambenedetti was also on hand to share his thoughts regarding the new project: “It’s a huge pleasure that the name of Ducati shines together with the Marc VDS Racing family. Their three world titles in Moto2, their excellent results over more than a decade and, above all, their commitment to excellence, make this team an ideal partner. In addition, we are delighted that Sam Lowes will be at the controls of our Ducati Panigale V4 R Superbike. Ducati will do all it can to help him show his speed and talent and we are convinced that his experience will also make us grow. Finally, I would like to thank Marc van der Straten and the team for the trust placed in Ducati to accompany them in this new WorldSBK adventure. I am sure it will be an exciting season for everyone.”

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The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship will return in 2024 to the historic Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto, with the Spanish track hosting the season finale for a second consecutive campaign. The 12^th round of the 2024 season, originally planned for the 11^th, 12^th and 13^th of October, has now been moved back by one week, with the 2024 Prometeon Spanish Round now scheduled for the 18^th, 19^th and 20^th of October.

The Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) and WorldSBK agreed to delay this year’s curtain closer by one week, responding to the dynamic demands of the local events calendar and at the request of the township of Jerez de la Frontera.

Jerez returned to the WorldSBK calendar last year as a late replacement for the Argentinean Round, hosting an incredibly memorable season finale which included Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) winning his second WorldSBK title, Jonathan Rea’s final race with the Kawasaki Racing Team, and one of the best battles in the history of the Championship in Race 2 between Bautista and Toprak Razgatlioglu.

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The Superbike Commission, composed of MM. Gregorio Lavilla (Dorna, WorldSBK Executive Director), Paul King (Director of the FIM Circuit Racing Commission), Biense Bierma (General Secretary of the MSMA), coordinated by Paul Duparc (Manager of the FIM Circuit Racing Commission & Secretary of the SBK Commission), in the presence of Jorge Viegas (FIM President), Ludovic Reignier (FIM WorldSBK Technical Director), Dominique Hebrard (FIM CTI Technical Manager) and Svetlana Nazarova (FIM CCR Coordinator) met at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto on 28 October 2023, during the final round of the Championship.

Numerous electronic meetings were then held so that each party (FIM-DORNA-MSMA) could agree on the final decisions, the most important of which were the following:

NEW SCHEDULE: WorldSSP, WorldSSP300 and WorldWCR Superpoles move to Friday

A new time schedule has been decided for 2024, which will see the Superpole sessions for WorldSSP, WorldSSP300 and the new WorldWCR class moved to Friday afternoon. These Championships will have a single Free Practice session in the morning, with each Superpole matching their respective duration.

All three classes will now also have a 10-minute Warm Up session on Saturday morning and on Sunday morning, ahead of the races that day.

Meanwhile, the WorldSBK class will see two small changes compared to 2023. Free Practice 3 will now be scheduled for 20 minutes (rather than 30), and Sunday Warm Up will last 10 minutes (rather than 15). The standard schedule for Races and Superpole remains the same.

Check the full updated schedule for 2024 HERE.

GRID UPDATES: a new format for Race 2

In order to highlight outstanding performances, the SBK Commission decided that regarding the Grid positions for Race 2, the first 9 grid positions will be based on the fastest time recorded by the riders during Race 1, for the WorldSSP, WorldSSP300, WorldWCR classes.

AGE EXEMPTIONS: an opportunity for top under-18s

An exemption to the minimum age rules for the top 3 of the last FIM Supersport 300 World Championship, for the top 3 of the FIM European Moto2 Championship and for the top 3 of the last FIM European Stock Championship to compete in the 2024 FIM Supersport World Championship was decided, these riders having   demonstrated their capacity and experience to be able to benefit from this exemption.

ENGINE ALLOCATION INFRINGEMENTS: start at back of grid, not pit lane

In case of an infringement of the engine allocation (before the race), the rider will start the next 2 races (Superbike Race 1 and 2 excepting Superpole race) from the back of the grid and will receive two long lap penalties (previously the rider had to start from the pit lane exit after the green light was lit on). This penalty seemed fairer with regards to the different lengths of the pit lanes.

CHASSIS COMPONENTS: updates in WorldSSP

For the WorldSSP Class, the chassis components rules will see some changes for 2024. The racing kit shall be made available by all the manufacturers and limited to only 1 homologated racing kit per racing season. The racing kit can be made of other OEM parts or specific made parts, this will be up to the decision of each manufacturer. A price cap of 1000€ (all parts together) was fixed. This will cover the following chassis parts list:

• Triple clamp upper and lower
• Steering stem (including bearings and relative bearing seats)
• Rear suspension linkage without swingarm

Furthermore, the rear suspension attachment points on the frame and on the swingarm must not change to avoid any potential changes on the frame and swingarm.

FUEL FLOW CONTROL: testing in 2024 ahead of an implementation in 2025

For the WorldSBK Class, with regard to the new fuel tank maximum capacity (21.0 litres re Superbike Commission decisions  of  11  October  2023), to incentivise the environmental guidelines and to give a platform for manufacturers to increase their machine developments in these areas for the future, from 2025, it will be mandatory to use a fuel flow control system.

Therefore, in 2024, two bikes from each manufacturer will be required to fit a fuel flow meter and log data during both practices and races to validate the concept and define the value for 2025. A decision for a fuel flow meter has been approved. The FIM will introduce all related information into the 2024 FIM Eligible parts list for Competition accordingly.

As a reminder, the season 2024 will be a test season in order to collect data from the FFM sensors for analysis/evaluation for a potential official implementation from 2025.

SUSTAINABLE FUEL: 40% minimum for WorldSBK and WorldSSP

The SBK Commission confirmed the introduction of sustainable fuel for the WorldSBK and WorldSSP categories starting from the 2024 season, with a minimum of 40% sustainable fuel content. This E40 fuel should be compliant with the specification adopted recently in MotoGP.

TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP: licence requirement from 2024

Alongside the Championships for Riders, a “Team Championship” has been decided. Consequently, a licence for teams in all classes has been created. The decision to obtain this licence rests with the team which is not obliged to obtain to participate in the Championship. In the absence of a licence, the team will not score points.

NOTIFYING DECISIONS: a new application

A specific application used by the FIM in various FIM Championships (including MotoGP™) will be used in 2024. This Application will allow, not only to notify a decision but also to make it public and will also give a legal value (within the framework of notifications and resulting deadlines for appeals).

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The weeks preceding the inaugural round of the season are the busiest of the year for much of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship, both on and off the track. While pre-season testing takes up the bulk of the preparation on the tarmac, the flip side of the coin are the annual team presentations, where teams introduce their exciting new projects to the world. Liveries, line-ups, and the usual pre-season anticipation: here is what has been confirmed up to now.

BMW IN BERLIN: The launch of a new era

The German manufacturer is first off the blocks as far as the factory teams are concerned, with BMW Motorrad Welt in Berlin hosting the launch of both the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team and the Bonovo Action BMW team on the 17^th of January. This will be Toprak Razgatlioglu’s first public event in BMW colours after debuting on-track at the beginning of December, with an autograph session and other activities scheduled for the day of the presentation. Featuring the most ambitious line-up in the manufacturer’s history – completed by Michael van der Mark, Scott Redding, and Garrett Gerloff – this one is unmissable.

THE CHAMPIONS ARE BACK: Ducati return to Madonna di Campiglio

Did anyone say “three-peat”? That will be the target for the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati squad in 2024, after two historic title-winning campaigns with Alvaro Bautista. The beautiful scenery of Madonna di Campiglio, a ski-resort town in Northern Italy, will once again provide the backdrop to the launch of Ducati’s WorldSBK and MotoGP™ projects. Bautista and new teammate Nicolo Bulega will both be present on the 22^nd of January, before heading off the Jerez for their first test of 2024 on the 24^th and 25^th.

MORE CONFIRMATIONS: Yamaha and Kawasaki unveil plans

We’ve already seen Jonathan Rea on an R1 in their testing livery, but the 28^th of January the world will see the real deal for the first time: the number 65 on the blue factory Yamaha. The Pata Yamaha Prometeon team of Rea and Andrea Locatelli will launch their 2024 project with an online presentation on the 28^th of January.

The Kawasaki Racing Team, meanwhile, will unveil their livery and updated line-up of Alex Lowes and Axel Bassani on the 8^th of February, also online. The remaining factory team, Team HRC, are yet to confirm their plans as of writing.

INDEPENDENTS GET THE HOLESHOT: Motoxracing, Marc VDS…

The Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team were the first squad to launch their season, on the 12^th of January, with Bradley Ray prepared to start his sophomore campaign. Three days later, it’s the turn of the brand-new ELF Marc VDS Racing Team, who will introduce both their Moto2™ and WorldSBK projects – the latter featuring a debuting Sam Lowes – in Modave, Belgium.

Two more independent outfits have confirmed their plans: GMT94 Yamaha will launch their season online on January 31^st, while the BARNI Spark Racing Team and Danilo Petrucci will be present at the Ruote da Sogno event in Reggio Emilia on the 11^th of February to present their second season together.

Any further confirmations will be included as they come in, so stay tuned!

CONFIRMED DATES SO FAR (ongoing):
12th January, Fiano Romano (Italy): Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team
15^th January, Modave (Belgium): ELF Marc VDS Racing Team
17^th January, Berlin (Germany): ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team, Bonovo Action BMW
22^nd January, Madonna di Campiglio (Italy): Aruba.it Racing – Ducati
28^th January, online: Pata Prometeon Yamaha
31^st January, online: GMT94 Yamaha
8^th February, online: Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK
11^th Feburary, Reggio Emilia (Italy): BARNI Spark Racing Team

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The season of team launches has well and truly begun for the 2024 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship, with the Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team becoming the first squad to formally introduce their full line-up and livery for the upcoming campaign. Retaining Bradley Ray for a second season together and expanding the project to the WorldSSP300 class for 2024, an exciting and intriguing season awaits for the Italian outfit.

The Motoxracing team presented their 2024 line-up at their headquarters in Fiano Romano, approximately 40 kilometres north of the Italian capital. After competing exclusively in the European rounds of the WorldSBK season in 2022 and 2023, this year the team will be on the grid for all 12 rounds for the first time, including the season opener at Phillip Island in late February.

Leading the charge will be 2022 British Superbike winner Bradley Ray, who last year led an encouraging if uneven rookie season in WorldSBK. With injuries and relative inexperience limiting Ray’s results throughout the season, a superb 6^th position in Race 2 at Imola nonetheless proved the 26-year-old’s potential, which he will be seeking to capitalise on in his sophomore campaign.

THE TARGET: “Regular top-ten finishes”

The British rider, who will be back testing at Portimao at the end of January alongside most of the WorldSBK grid, is already looking forward to the challenge: “I’m very pleased to stay with Team Motoxracing and to have been at the presentation. I can’t wait to get back on the bike during winter testing and am excited to travel to Australia for the first round of the championship. It’ll be my first visit to Phillip Island. I’m sure we can do better than last season, also because we now have more experience. I want to thank Sandro Carusi and Yamaha for renewing their faith in me; I will continue to do my best to achieve the best possible results.”

Team Principal Sandro Carusi has also set out a target for what will be a busy campaign for the Yamaha Motoxracing team: “We’ve worked hard, and continue to do so, to organise our 2024 season in the best way. We’ll be busy on two fronts, in both the Superbike and Supersport 300 championships. I’m pleased that Bradley will remain with us, because this will allow us to harness the experience gained last season as we aim to score regular top-ten finishes.”

ERCOLANI AND BARTOLINI TO LEAD WorldSSP300 CHARGE

The Yamaha Motoxracing team will also feature on the WorldSSP300 grid in 2024, returning to the feeder series for the first time since 2021. The all-Italian line-up will include two newcomers to the WorldSSP300 class: 2023 R3 bLU cRU European Champion Emiliano Ercolani and former Moto3™ rider Elia Bartolini.

Regarding the new project, Carusi said: “There are high hopes for the 300 team too, with its expert technical staff and two promising young riders. We have the potential to put together a very strong season and will be giving it our all.”

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The sun was setting (even though the sun doesn’t move, the earth moves, but never mind) on the 2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship as the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto returned after a year absence and wow, it was back with a bang! After title celebrations for Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) in Race 1, a first podium of his WorldSBK career for Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) in the Superpole Race, Race 2 was always going to be emotional, with farewells and points to prove. Enjoy Race 1 and Race 2 here, whilst catching up on a dramatic Superpole Race – DON’T FORGET TO HIT THAT SUBSCRIBE BUTTON!

35 passes for the in the whole race at Portimao? “Hold my beer” said Jerez; 11 laps to go, 38 passes at the front of the final WorldSBK race of the season and you can guess the pair! Bautista aiming to sign off his 2023 season with a triple, Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) aiming to give the perfect gift to his Yamaha team in his last race with them before his BMW challenge in 2024. All this coming after Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) crashed from the lead in his final race in Kawasaki, albeit remounting but finishing out of the points.

Between Bautista and Razgatlioglu, only three turns weren’t used for overtaking – Turns 3 and 4 (who can blame them?) and Turn 7. Paul Denning went on to call it the “best WorldSBK race ever” after the race but the on-track action was alive. It went to the final corner of the season, Bautista sliding sideways up the inside, Toprak cutting back and standing the Champion up. A race to the line, Toprak held on but in his ambition to win, exceeding track limits on the exit of the final corner, giving Bautista the win. Incredible scenes to send WorldSBK into winter in style. Watch Rea’s farewell from a whole new perspective here, as well as Toprak’s emotional Yamaha goodbye here.

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The last round of the 2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto and it was match-point in Race 1 for Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati). He needed just two points from the entire weekend to be crowned Champion for a second time and he wasn’t going to miss out on getting it sorted straight away. Enjoy Race 1 and Race 2 here as well as a dramatic Superpole Race – and subscribe to our YouTube channel for more cool content.

Leading every lap from start to finish and going relatively unchallenged, Alvaro Bautista put on a true Champion’s display. A Ducati rider hadn’t defended the title successfully in over 20 years with the #1 but now, a modern great had cemented his name in the record books. Bautista became World Superbike Champion for a second time, this time doing it at home in front of a packed Jerez crowd. Great scenes of sportsmanship from main title contender Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) were on show, as was a congratulations from arch-rival Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK). Donning a second gold suit in as many years and with the fireworks going off all around, the atmosphere was absolutely electric. Watch Bautista’s title success in a special episode of Unfiltered, here!

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Six races remained as we approached Portimao for the Portuguese Round in the 2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship. After winning in Race 1, Sunday could have been the day which saw #TheDefence completed by Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati). A certain Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) had other ideas and was riding the best we’d ever seen, although ultimately it wouldn’t be enough for the glory of race victory. Enjoy Race 1 and Race 2 HERE, as well as the Superpole Race and don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more cool content!

It started in the Tissot Superpole Race; Razgatlioglu led every lap and despite having a gap in the middle of the race, there was a Bautista-shaped shark closing in. On the last lap, the #1 was right with the #54 but Toprak held on down the front straight. Into the final corner, Bautista once again got close and this time, he was able to pounce, diving under Razgatlioglu on the exit to deny the Turk right at the close – similar to their battle at Estoril in 2022 from Race 1. Bautista led just one lap but it was the most important; Toprak smashed his screen and threw his gloves in anger and was out to prove a point in Race 2.

An instant classic and straight into the top five races of all-time, Razgatlioglu was relentless and Bautista battle-ready. From the start until the end, 35 passes for the lead between the two. The Ducati rider often leading down the straight, only for the Yamaha star to fight back into either Turn 1, Turn 5, Turn 11 or Turn 13. The 35^th pass would be the most important; again, closing up to Toprak in the final corner but this time with a different strategy, Bautista was wise to Toprak’s tighter line on exit after his Superpole Race triumph and in-turn, adapted to go to the outside, blasting around the #54 to take the win. Elation for Bautista but even more frustration for Toprak, smashing the screen again, this time so hard that his own airbag had activated. Tears in Parc Ferme for the Turkish star whilst Bautista now needed two points at Jerez to take the title. Elsewhere in the weekend, more Ducati success as Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) took the WorldSSP crown and in WorldSSP300, MTM Kawasaki’s Jeffrey Buis became the first double Champion in the class.

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Round 10 of the 2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship campaign was held at MotorLand Aragon, and the Spanish venue did not disappoint. From the Race 1 drama of Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) crashing twice to teammate Michael Ruben Rinaldi returning to winning ways, it really did have it all. The Tissot Superpole Race is one that will live long in the memory as the ‘Titanic Trio’ – Bautista, Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) and Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) – fought tooth and nail for victory. Catch up on the Race 1 and Race 2 HERE and watch Superpole Race highlights on YouTube – make sure you subscribe, too!

Bautista was looking to bounce back from his Race 1 disappointment whilst Razgatlioglu and Rea were looking to take points out of the Championship leader. The #1 got the holeshot heading into Turn 1 but six-time Champion Rea responded immediately to stay ahead with Razgatlioglu in hot pursuit. With eight laps to go, the #54 looked to move into second ahead of Bautista but the Spaniard resisted, with Rea out in front. With four laps to go, the Ducati rider made his move for the lead at Turn 1 with Rea resisting around the outside and holding position into Turn 2, which allowed the 2021 Champion to claim P2 at Turn 3. The fight would come down to the final lap and final turns, but who came out on top?

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MotorLand Aragon hosted Round 10 of the 2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship and what looked like it could’ve been a straightforward weekend for Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was anything but. In contrast, teammate Michael Ruben Rinaldi was back to his best, and returned to winning ways in Ducati’s big moment of need. Re-watch the Race 1 and Race 2 action right HERE and check out highlights of the Tissot Superpole Race on YouTube – don’t forget to subscribe to the WorldSBK channel too!

The reigning Champion headed into the Aragon Round as clear favourite, leading the title race and looking to put one hand on the Championship before the next round. However, Saturday did not go his way. A crash at Turn 8 when leading comfortably dropped him to the back of the field before he was able to recover into the points-paying positions. Looking to make a move for P14 on the final lap, the Spaniard came off his bike again and scored no points. Despite the disappointment for the #1, there was joy on the other side of the box as Michael Ruben Rinaldi took full advantage to win his first race in two years. It was the scene of his first WorldSBK win back in 2020 and his latest too, despite being replaced at the team for 2024 by Nicolo Bulega. Mixed emotions in the Aruba Ducati box, but Bautista had the consolation of still leading the title race.

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