Superbike regulations change mid-season: help for Honda isn’t enough

On the eve of the Misano Adriatico round, amid general indifference, the current World Superbike regulations were changed on the fly. In addition to corrective measures for the dominant ZXMOTO in Supersport and some help for the Yamaha R7 and KOVE 450RR on the Sportbike grid, the regulations intended to equalize the performance of the bikes in what should represent the pinnacle of production-derived racing were once again revised. All this through the instrument of the much-debated and, data in hand, ineffective “Super Concessions.”

While everyone was spending the eve on the Riviera or attending the media event organized at Riccione’s Aquafan, on Wednesday, June 10 the new version of the regulations highlighted changes concerning the definition of “Super Concessions.” In short, the criteria for manufacturers that fall under this status have been somewhat expanded, thus granting more test days, regulatory assistance (and, indeed, various kinds of concessions allowing technical interventions on the bike), and so on. Broadly speaking, under today’s “super-conceded” manufacturers, everyone would be included except Ducati, with these advantages forfeited in the event of two wins achieved on two different circuits in dry conditions, or upon reaching “super concession points” so convoluted they are hard to even articulate.

Since this system was instituted, with the exception of Ducati, just about every manufacturer has benefited from super-concessions. Or rather: they have fallen under this status, in some cases maximizing the assistance (see BMW in 2025), in others sinking even further. See Honda, for whom even lengthening the frame by a couple of centimeters (so much for “production-derived”…) wasn’t enough to pull them out of a crisis that has the CBR languishing at the bottom of the standings.

The CBR 1000RR-R is a bike that wins or performs well everywhere, with World Superbike the lone exception. There it not only struggles: it gets worse every year. True, Jake Dixon, on paper their leading rider, is currently in the medical bay, but even with Jonathan Rea (who may no longer be the “King” of old, but is still Jonathan Rea) they have collected very little. With Somkiat Chantra in Race 1 at Misano they scored a single world championship point, managing to keep pace only with the Yamaha MotoXRacing machines of Bahattin Sofuoglu and the super-rookie Mattia Rato. Honda is perpetually deep in “Super Concession Status,” yet specifically in World Superbike it does not perform.

The possibilities offered by super-concessions are numerous for adapting the CBR to the Pirellis and, with a view to 2027, to the Michelins. While it is a bike “born” on Bridgestones, that’s not the only secret behind the Fireblade Triple R that flies at Suzuka. Ask Jonathan Rea how that bike goes, but also Somkiat Chantra himself, who had the chance to test it in May. A total bike, without super concessions or anything of the sort.