Why this year’s Superbike World Championship is more interesting than MotoGP

Marc Marquez won the United States Grand Prix on Sunday. He was dominant from start to finish. It may be in the nature of the Circuit of the Americas, but the circuit in the heart of Texas has not produced the best MotoGP races in recent years. A clash between Jack Miller and Joan Mir spiced up the tail of the race, but otherwise it was not the race that was able to charm many viewers. It was different in the Moto3 class, where “we” as the world of motorsport once again escaped massive drama. Deniz Öncü deviates slightly from his line in the long straight and drops Jeremy Alcoba. Andrea Migno and Pedro Acosta flew over it at full speed, but are miraculously unharmed. This is yet another incident in an already dramatic year for the Moto3 class and the time has come for action. The heavy suspension Öncu received for a seemingly innocent action is only fair. After years of semi-regime, the commissioners are finally ready to put an end to the dangerous actions.

Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda team

Photo by: Dorna

Let’s go back to MotoGP, where the title fight has been brewing for some time now. Like the GP of America, the title race lacks a bit of pepper. Fabio Quartararo has made the fewest mistakes this season and is behaving exceptionally well, there is nothing to complain about. However, no one stood up who could offer serious resistance. Johann Zarco seemed to be at the start of the season, but the Frenchman succumbed to the pressure. Marc Marquez is still not fit enough to be fast on any track and challenge the young goalkeeper and Francesco Bagnaia’s season has simply started late. Although the material in MotoGP has never been so close, this year has shown on several occasions that it does not necessarily make the championship better or more exciting. It’s hard to see why the MotoGP Championship doesn’t want to be exciting this year, but maybe that’s just Quartararo’s credit.

The WSBK desperately needed the Rea-Razgatlioglu rivalry

The Superbike World Championship now has the championship which has been desired for years and which was also indispensable for the appearance of the championship. Jonathan Rea is the established name in the championship. He dominated the sport with six consecutive world titles, but that domination did not benefit the production motorcycle class. Honda, Yamaha and Ducati riders have been able to beat Rea at times in recent years, who with his consistent performance was the perfect benchmark for anything and everyone, but also very hard to beat. The man brought in by Yamaha to challenge Rea was Toprak Razgatlioglu. The promising Turkish driver took a while, but cracked the code to shake the reigning world champion. Partly because of that, it has become a season for licking your fingers.

After an intense treble with successive race weekends in Barcelona, ​​Jerez and Portimao, we can only conclude that the WSBK championship has exceeded all expectations this season. Every weekend, the two men faced off and other taste makers, like Scott Redding, could regularly join in the duel. The dramatic moments follow one another quickly, the psychological warfare is in full swing. After eleven racing weekends this season, the numbers speak for themselves, Rea and Razgatlioglu are balanced in terms of wins, podiums and retirements.

There are two more race weekends on the schedule this season, the first of which will be completed next weekend in Argentina. Like MotoGP, the World Superbike Championship will cross the Atlantic for the first time since the start of the pandemic. As MotoGP returns to Europe, the World Superbike Championship travels to Indonesia for the final round for the final round. Razgatlioglu has a 24 point lead in the championship, but a maximum of 62 points can be achieved per weekend. So there is still a lot at stake. Will the World Superbike Championship finally have a new champion or will the sole ruler pass his greatest test?

This final of the World Superbike Championship deserves a large audience. Is it time for a change of food after the MotoGP action? Don’t hesitate to give the World Superbike Championships a chance. It is more than worth it this season.