CLOSING THE GAP
As racing administrators around the world move their national Superbike formula closer to stock specification to manage costs, the response from manufacturers is to bring the stock showroom machine closer and closer to what would have once been considered racetrack exotica. Consumers benefit from the ever-increasing technology applied to roadbikes as so-called Superstock machinery edges closer and closer to Superbike. But on the racetrack, the addition of customisable software and the knowhow to extract the most from it can often mean the difference between winning races and running nowhere. As a result, the Australian Superbike Championship is on the brink of a major technological upheaval.
NEVER STOPS MOVING
WITH EVERY NEW generation of Superbike, the formula for establishing the national series of motorcycle road racing in Australia presents another challenge for series organiser, Motorcycling Australia. Because with every step forward in technology, some of which can mean several precious tenths of a second in lap times, comes increased demands on team budgets.
In the last five years we’ve seen giant leaps forward not only in the electronic rider aids now fitted to production superbikes, but also in the way they’re actuated and their level of customisation. They can be adjusted on the fly, they can be adjusted remotely, or the adjustments can happen automatically according to which sector – or even corner – of a racetrack a rider is located thanks to pre-programming abilities.
These are exciting, important and inevitable developments for consumers, racers and
