LFS Forum - New rules for World Superbikes.

With Dorna becoming the new promoter of the FIM World Superbike Championship, they were keen on increasing the difference between the "prototype" world championship of MotoGP and the Superbikes. Now they released their drastic rulechanges for 2014.

From 2014 on the Superbike World Championship organization will be reduced to three classes. The top class SBK will then be equiped with what is now Superstock 1000 bikes, the SSP with Superstock 600. The third class will be a quater liter class also based on bikes you can buy at your local dealer.

For 2013 some rules are already changing, which are all confirmed by FIM:

If it starts raining during a race it will not be stopped. Teams will have to come to pitlane and change tyres.
Only one bike per rider will be allowed.
The rims increas to 17'' and have to be made of aluminium.
Sticker Lights have to be featured on the bike in size and form equal to the road machine's counterpart.
Only three riders per row on the starting grid.
In case of rain or bad sight, a red light must be activated, placed at the back of the machine.
The break lever needs to be covered.

Many riders are quoted that the move to less powerfull machines was logical. Eugene Leverty said "We're technically very close [to MotoGP] and are hardly slower. We would fool ourselves if we think we can continue two nearly identical championships." Cal Crutchlow: "If you put the Bridgestone tyres on a Superbike, you are as fast as we are in MotoGP." However most if not all of them are not happy with how drastic the decision turned out. Tom Sykes: "I'm against it. [...] The Standard-ZX-10R has traction control and features different engine mappings. These are things we developed in World Superbikes. I don't think the electronics make us faster, but they make the racing much safer."

Source: Red Bull Media House Schweiz AG, Speedweek, 2012, 45