WHAT IS BSB?

therookiereporters
Aug 9
4 min read

Some motorsport fans will have heard of WorldSBK; however, most don’t know about BSB. Good news: you have this article to educate yourself on this smaller series!

(Image Credit to @officialbsb on Instagram)

What is BSB?

Firstly, BSB stands for British Superbikes. It is a motorcycle road racing series in the United Kingdom and is known as the premier domestic superbike racing series. Its inaugural season was in 1988 and there are usually 12 rounds of racing beginning in April and continuing till October. To round out the season, there is a “Showdown”; introduced in 2010, a “Showdown” includes the top 6 riders being awarded points based on their podium finishes from the previous nine rounds. They then compete over three rounds and seven races for that year’s championship.

(Image Credits to @officialbsb on Instagram)

History of BSB

In its first season, 750cc bikes were raced on in accordance with TT Formula 1 regulations. These regulations were used until 1993, in which the Superbike regulations were adopted by the series. The most successful rider is Niall Mackenzie, who won three titles in the 1990s. Many successful BSB riders who become champions often then move into WorldSBK or even MotoGP.

BSB hasn’t always been a hidden series as it is in the modern day; in 2009, it was the biggest supported British Racing Series. That year, 368,000 individuals attended race weekends across the United Kingdom and around 8,000,000 fans watched the 310 hours of live racing action on Eurosport.

What is the Playoff Era?

Introduced in 2010 and still being used 15 years later is something called the Playoff Era. Under this format, like with NASCAR, the championship is split into two parts.

The normal FIM points system was used in the Main Season, with 25 points for a win down to 1 point for 15th. At the end of the Main Season, riders will have their two worst scores removed. The resulting order sees the top six get elevated to a new base level, with these riders being regarded as the Title Fighters. The riders who don’t qualify for this phase still compete for points in the BSB Riders’ Cup.

In the “Showdown”, riders fight for extra points, or what is referred to as “Podium Credits”. Podium Credits are awarded to the top three riders of each race; the winner earns three points, the runner-up earns two points, and the third-place rider earns one point. However, in 2014, the point format was adjusted with increased points for the rewarded riders. The winner of each race earns five points, second-place wins three points, and the third-place rider wins one point. The most recent adjustment to the Playoff took place in 2021 and saw the format expanded to include eight riders from the original six.

What is the scoring system?

The scoring system used by BSB can be summarised as follows:

1st - 25 points

2nd - 20 points

3rd - 16 points

4th - 13 points

5th - 11 points

6th -10 points

7th - 9 points

8th - 8 points

9th - 7 points

10th - 6 points