WSBK 2025

[slopes]

Just seeing some of the announcements for WSBK 2025 but the more entertaining ones are the supersport ones
4 factory Honda’s
Maybe a couple of Kawasaki’s
Then the rest are on either Ducati’s or the new Yamaha R9.
There must be ten R9’s on the grid and at least 15 to 20 Ducati’s.

[rodericb]

The Bimotas in the main class look to be going well in the pre-season testing.

[slopes]

rodericb said:

The Bimotas in the main class look to be going well in the pre-season testing.

bodes well for the new season

[tinhead]

Do they still have to sell a certain number of bikes for homologation or is that a thing of the past, thinking of Bimota here.

[rodericb]

They do but and here's the 2024 requirements: https://www.fim-moto.com/fileadmin/user_upload/Doc...

From this article it looks like the numbers might have continued into 2025: https://www.cycleworld.com/bikes/bimota-kb998-firs...

[tinhead]

rodericb said:

They do but and here's the 2024 requirements: https://www.fim-moto.com/fileadmin/user_upload/Doc...

From this article it looks like the numbers might have continued into 2025: https://www.cycleworld.com/bikes/bimota-kb998-firs...

Cheers, a bit lazy of me not looking myself.
So this is what they need to build, doesn't say you need to sell them all (or any) though.

Max price 44,000 euros

As a homologation model, Bimota will have to build 500 units of the KB998 to be eligible for World Superbike competition. The first batch of 125 units will be ready by the end of February 2025, another 125 by December 31, 2025, and the remaining 250 by December 2026.

Looks to be a better base for a superbike than the stock zx10-R, used Bimota to make a 40 grand ZX10 to compete with the likes of BMW M1000RR and Panigale V4R that would never sell as a Kawasaki but may as a Bimota.

Wonder if Jonny Rea is reconsidering his move to Yamaha now.

[slopes]

tinhead said:

Wonder if Jonny Rea is reconsidering his move to Yamaha now.

I should think he is considering retirement sometime soon. He might well be the GOAT when it comes to Superbikes but the current generation of riders and some of the younger ones in particular, are head and shoulders above him, Bulega is arguably the second best rider in the series behind Toprak and those two plus Bautista are way ahead of Rea right now, Loca is arguably better than Rea on the Yamaha and Alex Lowes made the Kawasaki do things this year that Rea couldn't the year before.

If he has another poor season in 2025, then i would hope he retires and leaves his reputation unsullied so to speak, rather than trundle round mid pack just to make up the numbers. It isn't that he can't ride a bike, 6 world titles on the bounce shows he clearly can but maybe everyone has caught him up, tyre tech has moved forward and the combination of those factors has left him behind a little bit. Love to see him winning on the R1 just to prove he can still do it but he has his work cut out to get there.

[bergclimber34]

I think sadly a long time on the same bike as with many riders has maybe allowed some setup and needs to be hard to get rid of. Toprak was able to adjust very well from Kawasaki to Yamaha and now to BMW a bike that nobody really did anything remotely special on (and at the same time made a few riders look distinctly average), and it shows that at the elite level the rider in a few special cases (Marquez, Rea at Kawasaki, Foggy/Bayliss on Ducati in 90's and Toprak on anything) can make the difference.

Locatelli was quicker invariably which should not be the case and shows that JR is struggling somewhere, I want him to fight as watching him on green taking it to Toprak and the flyweight a few years back was some of the best bike racing I have ever seen. So more of that please.

[slopes]

Taz MacKenzie staying at Petronas MIE Honda for 2025