SBK, Superpole returns to BSB: why not try it in the world championship too?

SBK, Superpole returns to BSB: why not try it in the world championship too?

The British series will reintroduce the ‘flying lap’ at Cadwell Park. A return to its roots, and something that WorldSBK should also consider

Alessandro Dimoro

26.08.2022 ( Aggiornata il 26.08.2022 12:08 )

This weekend, British Superbike will race at the iconic Cadwell Park circuit. The event will also see the reintroduction of a format that disappeared years ago but that was much loved by the many World Superbike fans in the golden years. We’re talking about the Superpole in which one flying lap establishes the best positions on the grid.

This new session will be similar to the “old” Superpole in many ways, with the best twelve riders in practice, together with the top three in Superpicks Qualifying, completing a single all-or-nothing lap of the track that will decide their starting position for the first of the weekend’s three races (the grid for Race 2 and Race 3 will continue to depend on the fastest laps set in the race). 

An idea that would also work in the world championship


The BSB weekend schedule is not so different to that of the world championship, with three races running across Saturday and Sunday, of which one is a sprint race. And so there would be similar time and space on practice day to allow the strongest riders to complete a single qualifying lap.

With a closely fought championship like we’re seeing this year, with three riders (on three different bikes) battling for the title, and races that are always a thrill to watch, a qualifying format loved by riders and fans alike would be the cherry on the cake each weekend, rather than the current rather drab session.

It would be a good way to make Saturday’s action more entertaining, while also satisfying the more nostalgic fans who miss the Superbike format of the early 2000s. Dorna should have a serious think about it, particularly if the Cadwell Park ‘experiment’ proves successful.

Traslated by Heather Watson

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