OFFICIAL PROGRAMME
WorldSSP has looked for its champions recently - and found three of them . And whichever of Dominique Aegerter or Steven Odendaal or even Philipp Öttl wins the WorldSSP championship this year , he will be the fourth ex-Moto2 rider in a row to take the title . The first was Sandro Cortese , for the Kallio Racing Team Yamaha privateers in 2018 , then it was Randy Krummenacher in 2019 , and then last year , the win of all wins , Andrea Locatelli for Evan Bros . Yamaha , just like Krummenacher . Other than how things turn out this year , that ’ s us and WorldSBK up to date . The current grids are full in this class , so some are still asking why the need for change in WorldSSP ? Well , need is a strong word . The class is changing because as has happened so many times in the past the world of production-based motorcycles has changed beyond the paddock . Few of the major manufacturers sell road bike specification Supersport 600cc machines anymore . If they do , it is only in certain markets . As they no longer update their models even those eligible for WorldSSP racing get increasingly difficult to stay competitive with the latest models - and nobody sees a comeback on the cards for more width in the strictly 600cc four cylinders / 675cc three cylinder market . What is increasingly popular are either production 600 / 675cc bikes people ride only really at trackdays , or bigger capacity twins and triples , that do not meet the current rules for WorldSSP . Just as WorldSBK inevitably went to racing 1000cc models when the 750s started to go out of fashion , so WorldSSP will have to race bigger capacity twins and triples alongside the existing bikes that still meet the 600cc rules criteria . So a big change in one movement coming in 2022 , relative to most years at least , but we have already seen a strong variety of different bikes racing in WorldSSP over the years , not just 600cc four cylinder layouts from Japan . The Ducatis in the early days were 748s , basically 916 series twins but with smaller engines . There was the 748 , 748 R , and finally the 999 derived 749 R . Four race wins all-in for the Ducatis of various shapes and Supersport sizes . While we are in Italy , there were even WorldSSP Bimotas in 1999 , in the shape of the Yamaha-engined YB9-SRI . Championship points on occasion , but no major prizes . Surely Honda , with all those nine Ten Kate championship wins and 1004 race wins from various iterations of CBR600 , is the most successful manufacturer in WorldSSP ? Nearly , but we can get to who that is in reality later . Kawasaki ? 44 race wins , most from Kenan Sofuoglu , of course . Suzuki , who took the first riders ’ championship in 1999 , has scored ‘ only ’ ten race wins . MV Agusta , still a small but important presence in WorldSSP has ripped in with nine race wins , eight from Jules Cluzel and one from Roberto Rolfo . They are still posting podium finishes in 2021 . Another three-cylinder 675cc machine , the Triumph Daytona 675 , has taken seven podiums , if not quite any race wins . Victories , a record number of race victories , have been more than forthcoming for Yamaha , with its 112 wins an even greater haul of silverware than Honda can manage . And given the way things have been going of late don ’ t bet too heavily against several more R6 wins , even in 2021 . From all this number crunching it ’ s obvious that the 600c across the frame four-cylinder has been the - albeit always disputed - favourite choice of champions and race winners . But with the world of real road bikes moving away from this largely 600cc formula , with one notable exception , the move to a wider range of engine sizes and configuration will be our shared reality soon . What will be the best configuration to use from now on ? A 600cc four , even now ? A 636cc four-cylinder ? A 759cc triple ? A 955cc twin ? What else is coming ? Who knows right now but please feel more than free to engage with WorldSSP next year to find out exactly what the future of the ‘ middleweight class ’ looks and feels like
EXCITING CONTENT
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