WSBK 2012 regulations

[veefer800canuck]

Wow, big changes afoot:

http://superbikeplanet.com/2011/Oct/111027sbrules.htm

Discuss

[phoenix]

I would be curious to know about how many race engines a team typically used in one season.

Since they run roughly twice as many races as MotoGP, that might be pretty tough to accomplish without exceeding your allotment.

[garry]

One bike for a race weekend? What constitutes a "bike"? The frame? The engine? Both? There must be some part(s) that can't be swapped out on a weekend...

[scottzilla]

The link doesn't provide much info.
I guess i'm missing something on raising the weight on twins.  Ducati pulled out on the factory level and Checa managed to win on last years bike.  WTF does raising the weight min on a bike that nobody will race in 2012 accomplish?

[Capirex]

The link doesn't provide much info.

You didn't read between the lines.  
Ducati have a new bike for '12 with a monocoque frame.  Their isn't much info in the link because the new bike has not been debuted yet.  SBK will adjust the rules to suit Ducati after the bike is unveiled.  

[DogBoy]

I would be curious to know about how many race engines a team typically used in one season.

Since they run roughly twice as many races as MotoGP, that might be pretty tough to accomplish without exceeding your allotment.

You make a very good point. Well funded MotoGP teams are having trouble meeting the six engine rule. Dorna even knows its unrealistic because they offer exclusions to Suzuki. I would imagine the engine allotment will be marked and sealed like the MotoGP engines. I'm not sure of the reason for this rule. I doubt its going to make running a team cheaper or make more teams competitive.

Hard to say how many engines teams use in a season. Ducati claimed during the 999 era that they needed to replace the crankshaft after each race weekend. Of course, they also claimed each crankshaft cost $50,000 or something ridiculous like that so who knows.

Didn't F1 have qualifying engines during the 1.5 liter turbo years? They were just good for a few laps, IIRC. I think NASCAR teams did something similar in the 80s. No one is using qualifying engines in WSBK (or I doubt they are by looking at the grids) so that can't be the reason for the new rule.  

[phoenix]

it's like they are (inadvertently) trying to limit horsepower, or somehow force people to limit how much each engine is pushing its own limit. I really don't think many teams have a good grasp on this, other than based on how many engines they have rebuilt or consumed this season.

to say this is a cost saving measure is kind BS in my book. They are trying, but I don't see this as having a huge impact.
I could be wrong.

[tomek]

Yamaha`s old 5 valve motors needed rebuild every 2000 km or about 1200-1300 miles , I remember reading about that back in 2005-2006 .
Average race weekend is 400 miles tops , most likely less then that . Engine has to last about 2 weekends or 700-800 miles , so that is not gonna be a problem for well founded teams using 4 cylinders engines .
I`m not quite sure how it is gonna effect Ducati , but I doubt WSBK would try to do something suicidal .

[veefer800canuck]

Hopefully Ducati's new Geardrive engine will be more durable.  


Remember the rotten luck Frankie Chili had with his grenading?  

I was so rooting for him when he was campaigning the 998-1/2  

I about cried every time I saw billowing clouds of smoke coming from his Termignonis.