Editing World Superbike championship

'''Superbike World Championship''' (also known as SBK) is the worldwide [[Superbike racing]] Championship. The championship was founded in 1988. The Superbike World Championship season consists of a series of rounds held on permanent racing facilities. Each round has two races and the results of each race are combined to determine two annual World Championships, one for [[List of Superbike World champions#Riders|riders]] and one for [[List of motorcycle manufacturers|manufacturers]].

The motorcycles raced in the championship are tuned versions of [[motorcycle]]s available for sale to the public, by contrast with [[MotoGP]] where purpose built machines are used. MotoGP is the motorcycle world's equivalent of Formula 1 racing, whereas Superbike racing is similar to Touring Car racing.

Europe is Superbike World Championship's traditional centre and leading market.<ref name="revival">[http://www.crash.net/feature_view~cid~5~id~6435.htm 2005 to mark WSBK revival?] crash.net retrieved on September 11, 2007</ref> However, rounds are also held in Qatar, Australia, South Africa, and the United States (in 2008}, for the first time since 2004).<ref name="USA">[http://www.crash.net/news_view~cid~5~id~153296.htm WSBK to USA.] crash.net retrieved on September 11, 2007</ref> An Indonesian race was also proposed for the 2008 season, but this was later canceled by the FIM.<ref name=Indonesia>{{cite web |url=http://www.crash.net/motorsport/wsbk/news/160434-0/sentul_bites_the_dust.html |title=Sentul bites the dust. |accessdate=2008-03-08}}</ref>

The championship is regulated by the [[Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme|FIM]] the governing body of motorcycle racing and managed and promoted by FGSport.

==History==
The Superbike World Championship began in {{SBK|1988}}, being open to modified versions of road bike models available to the public. For many years, the formula allowed for machines with 1000&nbsp;cc [[V-twin]] engines (principally [[Ducati]], but later [[Aprilia]] and [[Honda]]) to go up against the 750&nbsp;cc [[four-cylinder]] engines ([[Honda]], [[Yamaha]], [[Kawasaki Heavy Industries|Kawasaki]] and [[Suzuki]]). For the first few seasons [[Honda]] won with the [[Honda VFR750R|RC30]], but gradually the twins got the upper hand. Using 1000&nbsp;cc [[V-twin]] engines benefited [[Ducati]] and it was able to dominate the championship for many years. From {{SBK|1993}} to {{SBK|1999}} [[Carl Fogarty]] and [[Ducati]] dominated, Fogarty won the title a record 4 times and finished as runner-up twice on factory Ducatis. [[Troy Corser]] also won the 1996 title and finished as runner-up in 1995, both times on a Ducati.
[[Image:cf1.jpg|thumb|[[Carl Fogarty]] has won the Superbike World Championship a record 4 times with [[Ducati Corse|Ducati]]]]
Realizing that 1000&nbsp;cc [[V-twin]] engines suited the superbike racing formula more, Honda introduced its own V-Twin powered motorcycle the [[Honda RC51|VTR1000/RC51]] in {{SBK|2000}}. The result was clear right away as [[Colin Edwards]] won the championship in the bike's first year of competition. Ducati regained the title in {{SBK|2001}} with [[Troy Bayliss]].

===2002 - Edwards vs Bayliss===
[[Colin Edwards]] won his 2nd [[List of Superbike World champions|championship]] in what was arguably the most impressive comeback in the history of motorcycle racing. The season started with [[Troy Bayliss]] winning the first 6 races and by the end of race 1 at Laguna Seca he had 14 wins and was leading the championship by 58 points. Race 2 at Laguna Seca was the start of [[Colin Edwards]]' comeback, he went on to win all 9 remaining races and (aided by a race 2 crash for Bayliss at [[TT Circuit Assen|Assen]]) Edwards won the championship at the final race of the season at Imola. The final race of the season saw both riders fighting wheel to wheel for the entire race. The race is known by fans as the "Showdown at Imola".

The manufacturer's championship was won by [[Ducati]]. During these years the Superbike World Championship reached the zenith of its popularity, with global fan and full factory support.<ref name="rules2">[http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/Article_Page.aspx?ArticleID=313 WSC In Turmoil With New Rules Package] motorcycle-usa.com retrieved on September 11, 2007</ref>

===2003 - 1000&nbsp;cc engines===
{{Main|2003 Superbike World Championship season}}
In 2003 the FIM changed the rules to allow 1000&nbsp;cc machines (either twins, triples or four-cylinder) to race. Rule changes in [[MotoGP]] to allow [[4-stroke]] engines meant that the Japanese manufacturers focused their resources there, leaving the Superbike World Championship with limited factory involvement<ref name="1000ccSBK">[http://www.motorcycledaily.com/26jan011000ccsuperbikes.html 1000&nbsp;cc Superbikes May Save World Championship] motorcycledaily.com retrieved on September 13, 2007</ref> (only Ducati and Suzuki).

2003 also saw the entry of [[Carl Fogarty]]’s Foggy [[Petronas]] FP1. The bike was developed under the previous regulations and was powered by a [[3 cylinder]] 900[[cc]] engine. With most of the field running Ducati motorcycles, the championship received the derogatory title "the Ducati Cup".<ref name="rules2"/><ref name="rules">[http://www.speedtv.com/articles/moto/worldsuperbike/24961/ World Superbike: Time for More Rule Tweaking? (Part 1)] speedtv.com retrieved on September 11, 2007</ref> The factory Ducati Team entered the only 2 Ducati 999's in the field, taking 20 wins from 24 races in a season where all races were won by Ducati. [[Neil Hodgson]] won the title on a factory Ducati.

===2004 - control tires===
{{Main|2004 Superbike World Championship season}}
In an effort to create a more competitive field in 2004 organizers announced a series of changes to the championship. The most significant was that from {{SBK|2004}} the teams have had to run on [[Pirelli]] control or 'spec' tires. The decision to award the control tire to [[Pirelli]] was controversial. The [[Pirelli]] tires were considered to be below the standard of [[Dunlop Tires|Dunlop]] and [[Michelin]] that most of the teams had been using. Dunlop looked to take legal action against the decision<ref name="Dunlop">[http://www.crash.net/news_view~cid~5~id~72727.htm Dunlop plans legal action over rule changes.] crash.net retrieved on September 11, 2007</ref> while Pirelli claimed that Michelin and Dunlop were also asked if they would be interested in the one-make tire rule contract.<ref name="Pirelli">[http://www.crash.net/news_view~cid~5~id~103060.htm Pirelli: All the manufacturers were approached.] crash.net retrieved on September 11, 2007</ref>
Partly as a result of the control tires, Motorcycle Sports Manufacturer Association (Aprilia, Ducati, Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha) announced that no MSMA teams would participate in the Superbike World Championship, later modifying their statement allowing Ducati to participate.<ref name="rules2"/><ref name="rules"/>

A few privateers choose to run Japanese bikes in {{SBK|2004}}. [[Ten Kate Racing|Ten Kate Honda]] with [[Chris Vermuelen]] as its rider, won races and actually contended for the title that eventually was won by [[James Toseland]] and Ducati.

===2005 - Japanese return===
[[Image:Toseland-walker.jpg|thumb|[[James Toseland]] (1) on a [[Ducati]] leads [[Chris Walker (motorcycle racer)|Chris Walker]] (9) on a [[Kawasaki Heavy Industries|Kawasaki]] and [[Yukio Kagayama]] (71) on a [[Suzuki]] during a 2005 Superbike World Championship race]]
{{Main|2005 Superbike World Championship season}}
Following Ten Kate Honda's success Japanese motorcycles made him a return in {{SBK|2005}} with major teams from all four Japanese manufacturers run through teams ran by European importers.<ref name="rules"/> [[Troy Corser]] won the 2005 championship, giving Suzuki its first Superbike World Championship title.

===2006 - Bayliss back on superbikes===
[[Image:Troy Bayliss SBK 2006.jpg|thumb|left|[[Troy Bayliss]] has won the Superbike World Championship a record 3 times with [[Ducati Corse|Ducati]] after Carl Fogarty]]
{{Main|2006 Superbike World Championship season}}
{{SBK|2006}} saw the return of Australian [[Troy Bayliss]] to the Superbike World Championship after three years in [[MotoGP]]. The combination of Bayliss and Ducati proved unstoppable and they dominated the season, winning 12 races. Honda-mounted [[James Toseland]] and Yamaha's [[Noriyuki Haga]] battled for second with the British rider coming out on top. Defending champion [[Troy Corser]] on a Suzuki was fourth. {{SBK|2006}} gave the feeling that the Superbike World Championship was 'back' following the years of decline in {{SBK|2003}} and {{SBK|2004}}.<ref name="rules"/>

===2007 - Increase in popularity===
[[Image:Max biaggi wk sbk assen 2007.jpg|thumb|[[Max Biaggi]] riding his Alstare Suzuki [[Suzuki GSX-R1000|GSX-R1000 K7]] at [[TT Circuit Assen|Assen]].]]
{{Main|2007 Superbike World Championship season}}
With [[MotoGP]] machines reduced in capacity from 990&nbsp;cc to an 800&nbsp;cc maximum displacement, 1000&nbsp;cc Superbikes, both at World Championship and top national championships ([[AMA Superbike]] and [[British Superbike]]) become the most powerful racing bikes being road raced in {{SBK|2007}}. While superbikes remained two or more seconds per lap slower than MotoGP bikes at most tracks where both raced, they had equal or more power.<ref name="powerful">[http://www.speedtv.com/articles/moto/worldsuperbike/35637/?page=1 WSBK: Superbikes Now the Most Powerful Racing Bikes in the World] speedtv.com retrieved on September 11, 2007</ref><ref name="collision">[http://www.speedtv.com/commentary/34988/ Collision Course: MotoGP and World Superbike] speedtv.com retrieved on September 11, 2007</ref>
[[Troy Bayliss]] attempted to defend his title, riding once again a [[Ducati 999]]. Though 999 production ended in 2006 and the bike was replaced by the [[Ducati 1098]], Ducati produced 150 limited-edition 999s at an elevated race specification to satisfy [[homologation]] requirements. Bayliss' main rivals in his title defense included former [[MotoGP]] rider [[Max Biaggi]] riding a Suzuki, 2004 champion [[James Toseland]] riding a Honda and [[Noriyuki Haga]] riding a Yamaha.

The combination of some uneventful races in [[MotoGP]]<ref name="boring1">[http://www.crash.net/news_view~cid~6~id~153939.htm Poncharal apologises for boring race.] crash.net retrieved on September 13, 2007</ref><ref name="boring2">[http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/sport/sportresults/mcn/2007/september/sep10-16/sep1207motogpvalentinorossiadmitsmotogpalittleboring/ Valentino Rossi admits MotoGP is a ‘little boring’] motorcyclenews.com retrieved on September 13, 2007</ref> and some thrilling races in SBK saw the championship's popularity increase even more.

The championship was won by [[James Toseland]] in the season's last race. His 415 points put him two points ahead of [[Noriyuki Haga]], with former MotoGP winner [[Max Biaggi]] following with 397 points on a [[Suzuki]].

===2008 - 1200&nbsp;cc twins===
{{Main|2008 Superbike World Championship season}}
After introducing the [[Ducati 1098]] in 2007 powered by a 1099&nbsp;cc v-twin engine Ducati requested that Superbike rules be changed to allow v-twins of up to 1200&nbsp;cc compete against 1000&nbsp;cc four-cylinder bikes. Ducati argued that they no longer produced a road-going 1000&nbsp;cc V-twin superbike<ref name="Ducati">[http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/sport/sportresults/mcn/2007/april/apr9-16/apr1107ducatigoesofficialwithwsbquitthreat/?&R=EPI-90430 Ducati goes official with WSB quit threat] motorcyclenews.com retrieved on September 11, 2007</ref> and that the level of tuning now needed to make their 999 competitive on the race track was too expensive.<ref name="1200 cc">[http://www.crash.net/feature_view~cid~5~id~8999.htm WSBK responds to 1200&nbsp;cc rumours.] crash.net retrieved on September 11, 2007</ref> Ducati said they would quit if the rules were not changed,<ref name="Ducati"/> while Alstare Suzuki team boss Francis Batta also said that his team would quit if the new rules gave Ducati an unfair advantage.<ref name="Suzuki">[http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/sport/sportresults/mcn/2007/april/apr2-8/apr0207biaggisteamthreatenswsbwalkout/ Biaggi's team threatens WSB walk-out] motorcyclenews.com retrieved on September 11, 2007</ref>

The FIM eventually included the 1200&nbsp;cc displacement limit for twins in the {{SBK|2008}} superbike rules. According to the new rules, twin-cylinder motorcycles would be 6&nbsp;kg heavier than four-cylinder machines (168&nbsp;kg to 162&nbsp;kg) and would also have a 50&nbsp;mm [[air restrictor]] fitted. The weight limit and the intake-restrictor size of twin machines would be updated, if needed, during the Championship, by a system analysing the race points obtained.<ref name="tech">[http://www.worldsbk.com/pubb_EN/news_ext.php?id=1793&cat_id=1 Changes to the Technical Rules for 2008] worldsbk.com retrieved on September 11, 2007</ref>

The new rules also changed the minimum number of bikes required to acquire [[homologation]]. For 2008 and 2009, all manufacturers, regardless of total production numbers, had to produce a minimum of 1,000 bikes to acquire homologation. From 2010 onwards, the minimum production number was increased to 3000 bikes. In the past, smaller manufacturers were allowed to build as few as 150 bikes to meet the homologation requirements. Manufacturers took advantage of this by producing 'homologation specials'--highly tuned versions of their road bikes with performance parts designed especially for racing.<ref name="meaning">[http://www.superbikeplanet.com/2007/Jun/e/n070616d.htm 1200&nbsp;cc Is In, But What Does It Mean?] superbikeplanet.com retrieved on September 11, 2007</ref>

The 2008 SBK championship was dominated by [[Troy Bayliss]] of Australia, on his [[Ducati 1098]], who concluded his season and his career with a double win at the brand new, 195-million-Euro Portimao circuit in Portugal, after which he retired.

===2009: Spies vs Haga===
{{Main|2009 Superbike World Championship season}} 
During the offseason, [[Yamaha Motor Company|Yamaha]] lost its main rider [[Noriyuki Haga]] to [[Ducati]], which hired him to replace the retired Bayliss. His place was taken by 3-times [[AMA]] champion [[Ben Spies]], who was expected to give Haga serious competition. 

In the first half of the season, Haga pulled off a fast start, winning six races; Ben Spies won five, but reliability problems of his Yamaha and some mistake put him 87 points behind the Japanese. Despite being in control, Haga lost nearly all of his advantage after a couple of falls in Donington and at the Nurburgring (the one in Donington causing him a fractured ulna of the right arm), and the championship went down to the last race of the last round at Portimao. Haga was leading the series by 10 points going into the final round, and Spies needed to win both races (he would have won the Championship based on most wins). In race 1, Haga fell while Spies cruised to a victory, thus allowing him to go into the last race of the season with a 15 point lead. He rode to a fifth place finish, while Haga placed second (passing Rea in the last corner of the race).  Spies won the World Championship by a mere 6 points.

Ben Spies took a record 11 poles in the 14 round series and 14 wins (17 podiums) in 28 races; his main rival Haga was more consistent, finishing on the podium 19 times but winning only 8 races. 2009 also saw the debut of two new constructors, [[Aprilia]] and [[BMW Motorrad|BMW]]. Aprilia took a fourth final place in the championship with [[Max Biaggi]], while BMW finished thirteenth with [[Troy Corser]]<ref>http://www.worldsbk.com/season/stats?p_S_Campionato=SBK&p_Anno=2009&p_PilotiCostruttori=P</ref>.

===2010: The New Decade===
{{Main|2010 Superbike World Championship season}} 
2009 Champion [[Ben Spies]] moved to [[MotoGP]]<ref>http://2wheeltuesday.com/2009/09/motogp-ben-spies-to-motogp-early-james-toseland-pushed-out/</ref>. [[James Toseland]] returned to the championship after 2 seasons in MotoGP and took Spies place at the Sterilgarda Yamaha World Superbike team, partnered by fellow Brit [[Cal Crutchlow]]<ref>http://londonbikers.com/news/12399/toseland-and-crutchlow-in-2010-yamaha-wsb-line-up-its-official</ref>. The factory [[Ducati]] team retained their two riders.<ref>http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/sport/sportresults/World-Superbikes/2009/September/sep2109-haga-and-fabrizio-stay-at-ducati-for-2010/?&R=EPI-118660</ref>

The 2010 season started on February 28 at [[Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit|Phillip Island]] and is scheduled to end on October 3 at [[Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours|Magny-Cours]].

==Riders==
{{See also|List of Superbike World Championship racers}}
Riders from all over the world compete in the Superbike World Championship. The championship is perhaps most closely followed in [[Italy]] because of [[Ducati]] and the [[United Kingdom]] where [[superbike racing]] has been the most popular form of [[motorcycle racing]]. National-championship superbike racing is conducted in several countries, including the [[United States]], the [[U.K.]] and Japan. Riders from [[Australia]] and the [[United States]] have traditionally been successful in the world championship. No American rider had won a race since [[Colin Edwards]] won the 2002 championship until [[Ben Spies]] joined the series in 2009, but no Americans competed in the series between 2003 and 2007.

British rider [[Carl Fogarty]] has the record of being the most successful rider in the championship's history, winning the championship 4 times, and amassing a total of 59 race wins.

Many riders successful in the Superbike World Championship have gone on to MotoGP, such as 2002 champion [[Colin Edwards]], 2007 champion [[James Toseland]], and 2005 runner-up [[Chris Vermeulen]]. The championship has seen several former [[MotoGP]] riders move to it, usually after failing to earn competitive rides. The 2008 field includes five former MotoGP winners: [[Max Biaggi]], [[Carlos Checa]] and [[Makoto Tamada]] all raced exclusively in [[MotoGP]] before joining SBK, while [[Troy Bayliss]], [[Noriyuki Haga]], and [[Régis Laconi]] had alternating spells in both.

Except for Frenchman [[Raymond Roche]], who won the championship in {{SBK|1990}}, all Superbike World Champions have been native [[English language|English]] speakers. Italian riders [[Davide Tardozzi]] and [[Marco Lucchinelli]] won the first two races of the series, and Frenchman [[Adrien Morillas]] was also victorious in 1988; Germany had to wait for [[Max Neukirchner]] to achieve this in 2008, although [[Austria]]n [[Andreas Meklau]] was the first German-speaker to win a race, in 1993. Spain’s first race winner was [[Ruben Xaus]] in 2001

==Superbike motorcycles==
Superbike racing motorcycles are derived from standard production models. In the past, however, manufacturers took advantage of loopholes in the rules to create "homologation specials" — motorcycles with low production numbers made especially for racing.

Motorcycles that raced in the Superbike World Championship include:
* [[Ducati]]: [[Ducati 851|851]], [[Ducati 888|888]], [[Ducati 916|916]], [[Ducati 996|996]], [[Ducati 998|998]], [[Ducati 999|999]], [[Ducati 1098|1098]], [[Ducati 1198|1198]] (currently)
* [[BMW]]: [[BMW S1000RR|S1000RR]] (currently)
* [[KTM]]: [[KTM 1190 RC8|1190RC]] (from 2010 season)
* [[Honda]]: [[Honda VFR750R|RC30]], [[Honda RVF750 RC45|RC45]], [[Honda RC51|RC51]], [[Honda CBR1000RR|CBR1000RR]] (currently)
* [[Yamaha]]: FZR750, [[Yamaha YZF750|YZF750]], [[Yamaha YZF-R7|YZF-R7]], [[Yamaha YZF-R1|YZF-R1]] (currently)
* [[Kawasaki Heavy Industries|Kawasaki]]: GPX750R, ZXR750, [[Kawasaki ZX-7R and 7RR|ZX-7RR]], [[Kawasaki ZX-10R|ZX-10R]] (currently)
* [[Suzuki]]: [[Suzuki GSX-R750|GSX-R750]], [[Suzuki GSX-R1000|GSX-R1000]] (currently)
* [[Bimota]]: [[Bimota YB4EI|YB4EI]], [[Bimota SB8R|SB8R]] (withdrawn)
* [[Aprilia]]: [[Aprilia RSV Mille|RSV Mille R]], [[Aprilia RSV 4|RSV 4]] (currently)
* [[Petronas]]: [[Petronas FP1|FP1]] (withdrawn)
* [[Benelli (motorcycles)|Benelli]]: Tornado Tre 900 (withdrawn)
* [[MV Agusta]]: [[MV Agusta F4 series|MV Agusta F4]] (withdrawn)

<gallery caption="2007 World Superbike motorcycles by all 5 participating manufacturers" perrow="5">
Image:Lorenzo Lanzi wk sbk assen 2007.jpg|[[Lorenzo Lanzi]] riding the [[Ducati 999]]F07
Image:James toseland wk sbk assen 2007.jpg|[[James Toseland]] riding the [[Honda CBR1000RR]]
Image:Max biaggi wk sbk assen 2007.jpg|[[Max Biaggi]] riding the [[Suzuki GSX-R1000|Suzuki GSX-R1000 K7]]
Image:Noriyuki Haga wk sbk assen 2007.jpg|[[Noriyuki Haga]] riding the [[Yamaha YZF-R1]]
Image:Fonsi Nieto wk sbk assen 2007.jpg|[[Fonsi Nieto]] riding the [[Kawasaki ZX-10R]]
</gallery>

==Race weekend==
Up to 2008 season
* '''Friday'''
** ''1st free practice'' (60 minutes) and ''1st qualifying'' (60 minutes)
* '''Saturday'''
** ''2nd qualifying'' (60 minutes) and ''2nd free practice'' (60 minutes)
:The times of 1st and 2nd qualifying are combined and the 16 fastest riders qualify for Superpole. The rest receive a grid position based on lap time, starting with 17th. To qualify for the race, riders must record a lap time no longer than 107% of the time recorded by the pole-position rider.
:*''Superpole''
:Riders go out one by one in reverse order of qualifying position; in Superpole, riders may use a qualifying tyre. If Superpole is declared wet, a 50-minute session takes place for all 16 riders to set timed laps; each rider may complete no more than 12 laps including in and out laps.
* '''Sunday'''
** ''Warm-up'' (20 minutes) ''Race 1'' and ''Race 2''
:Race distance must be from a minimum of 90&nbsp;km to a maximum of 110&nbsp;km.
2009 race weekend summary needed
* '''Friday'''
** ''1st free practice'' (60 minutes) and ''1st qualifying'' (60 minutes)
* '''Saturday'''
** ''2nd qualifying'' (45 minutes) and ''2nd free practice'' (45 minutes)
:*''Superpole''
* '''Sunday'''
** ''Warm-up'' (20 minutes) ''Race 1'' and ''Race 2''

==Scoring system==
{| class="wikitable"
|+ '''Current Points System'''
! Position
! 1
! 2
! 3
! 4
! 5
! 6
! 7
! 8
! 9
! 10
! 11
! 12
! 13
! 14
! 15
|-
! Points
| 25
| 20
| 16
| 13
| 11
| 10
| 9
| 8
| 7
| 6
| 5
| 4
| 3 
| 2
| 1
|}
* For the Manufacturers' Championship, only the highest finishing motorcycle by a particular manufacturer is awarded the points for that position, as in MotoGP and most other forms of motorcycle racing.

==Support classes==
===Supersport World Championship===
{{Main|Supersport World Championship}}
Supersport World Championship has been a support class to the Superbike World Championship since [[1999]]

To be eligible for World Supersport, a motorcycle must have a four stroke engine of between 400 and 600[[cubic centimeter|cc]] for [[Straight-4|four cylinder]] machines, and between 600 and 750&nbsp;cc for [[V-twin|twins]] and must satisfy the FIM [[homologation]] requirements.
World Supersport regulations are much tighter than in World Superbikes. The chassis of a supersport machine must remain largely as standard, while engine tuning is possible but tightly regulated. As in world superbike a control tyre is used, although supersport regulations dictate that the tyres must be road legal and therefore slicks are not allowed.

A World Supersport race takes place at every World Superbike round.

===FIM Superstock 1000&nbsp;Cup===
{{Main|FIM Superstock 1000 Championship}}
The FIM Superstock 1000&nbsp;Cup is a support class to the Superbike World Championship at the European rounds.
Motorcycles with the same displacement as superbikes can run in superstock 1000 (though 1200&nbsp;cc twins were allowed for 2007). Superstock rules are much more restrictive and most components on the bike remain stock. The bikes run on Grooved Pirelli tyres.
The Superstock 1000 championship is open to riders up to 24 years of age.

===European Superstock 600 Championship===
{{Main|European Superstock 600 Championship}}
The European Superstock 600 Championship it is a support class to the Superbike World Championship at the European rounds.
The championship uses 600&nbsp;cc production motorcycles and is reserved for riders between 15 and 20 years of age. Same rules as Superstock 1000 apply.

==Video games==
As the World Superbike Championship has grown in popularity over the years, video games have been developed to incorporate its growing fan base. Originally EA Sports held the licence to produce SBK videos games until 2001 where they just stopped making games. It wasn't until 2007 that SBK was reborn as a video game thanks to [[Italy|Italian]] developer [[Black Bean Games]]. Black Bean has realised 3 games to date with SBK-X set to be the next installment of the series. 


==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.worldsbk.com worldsbk.com] World Superbike Championship official website
* [http://www.gruppofg.com gruppofg.com] FGSport, Superbike World Championship promoters website



[[Category:Superbike World Championship| ]]