The evolution of the sports motorcycle - statistics show how much faster sports bikes get each year

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The evolution of the sports motorcycle - statistics show how much faster sports bikes get ...

In practice at Monza in 2012, Tom Sykes ran a new Superbike top speed record when he slipstreamed 2010 champion Max Biaggi down the straight and managed 339.5 km/h - 210 mph

The 2012 BMW team looks set to add BMW to the list of Superbike winners

Ducati is the current World Superbike Champion in Superbikes thanks to a sterling effort from Carlos Checa in 2011

Ducati's Panigale is a prime example of a race bike for the road - it has not yet appeared as a WSBK

Ducati's Panigale is already winning Superstock races, though the Panigale-based superbike has not yet debuted

Honda's RC30 won the very first World Superbike Championship 25 years ago

The last non-Japanese victory in MotoGP was Phil Read in 1974

Max Biaggi appears on the Aprilia stand at Intermot, as a new "homologation special" is announced

Honda's first winning machine in WSBK, the RC30

Ducati's race heritage is almost exclusively WSBK-based

Lap times for Supersport versus Superstock 600

Top speed for Supersport versus Superstock 600

Lap times for Superbike versus Superstock

Top speeds for Superbike versus Superstock

From the World Superbike site's extensive race results - the Superbike 1000 results from 2007 at Monza

From the World Superbike site's extensive race results - the Superstock 1000 results from 2011 at Monza

Article Summary

With the World Superbike Championship celebrating its 25th year in 2012, it is an ideal time to reflect on the profound influence the series has had on the development of the everyday motorcycle. The production-based World Superbike Championship Series is now unquestionably the most important global race series in terms of influencing buyer decision of sports motorcycles and performance accessories but as our research shows, it appears to be even more influential than that. Statistics sourced from lap-times and speed traps over the last decade indicate the rapid rate road-going sports motorcycles are improving racetrack laptimes. Indeed, today's showroom models on road tires, are now quicker than the fastest factory superbikes of just five years ago.

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