Overview
Supersport was introduced as a support class to the Superbike World Championship in 1990 as a European Championship. The series allowed four-cylinder machines up to 600 cubic centimetres (37 cu in) and twin-cylinder bikes up to 750 cubic centimetres (46 cu in). In 1997 the championship became a "World Series" and the European title was given to the European Motorcycle Union's European Road Racing Championship. The full title Supersport World Championship was introduced in 1999. Supersport racing has also been one of the most popular classes of national racing for many years.
In 2012, to be eligible for Supersport World Championship, a motorcycle must satisfy FIM's homologation requirements and have an engine in one of the following configurations:
| Engine capacity | Engine type | No. of cylinders |
|---|---|---|
| Between 400 and 600 cubic centimetres (24 and 37 cu in) | four-stroke | 4 cylinders |
| Between 500 and 675 cubic centimetres (31 and 41.2 cu in) | four-stroke | 3 cylinders |
| Between 600 and 750 cubic centimetres (37 and 46 cu in) | four-stroke | 2 cylinders |
Supersport regulations are much tighter than in Superbikes. The chassis of a supersport machine must remain largely as standard, while engine tuning is possible but tightly regulated. For instance, the displacement capacity, bore and stroke must remain at the homologated size. Modifying the bore and stroke to reach class limits is not allowed. As in World Superbike, a control tyre is used, although World Supersport regulations dictate that the tyres must be road legal and therefore slicks are not allowed.
A Supersport World Championship race takes place at almost every Superbike World Championship round. Starting positions are decided by the riders' fastest laps from two 45-minute qualifying sessions. Each race is approximately 100 kilometres (62 mi) long.
Read more about this topic: Supersport World Championship