By Dan Moakes
August 1 2003

The 2004 World Superbike rules are being tweaked to make things cheaper, by keeping the motorcycles closer in specification to their road-going counterparts. Essentially, this means that the four-cylinder bikes of Suzuki, Yamaha and Kawasaki will not be fitted with air restrictors. This change will bring the series in line with those of Britain and the United States, where Suzuki in particular are having plenty of success this year. However, it is also felt this might delay the return of the Japanese works teams.

The other big change is rather more contentious, as it involves a ‘control’ tyre. Although this is another cost saver, particularly where testing is concerned, it does mean certain bikes will be switched onto a product that may not suit so well. In this case, Pirelli are the selected manufacturer. Currently, Michelin and Dunlop are the favoured tyres in the championship, so this will not be to their liking. Pirellis are used on the D.F.X. Ducatis.

It has been suggested that Neil Hodgson, very likely the next World Superbike champion, will be following Colin Edwards and Troy Bayliss into the MotoGP arena next year. Like the Australian, this would surely involve a move within the confines of the Ducati organisation, and would no doubt be seen as a reward, or a promotion, for his impressive efforts this season. If this does come to pass, a seat will be freed up in the works WSB squad, and the best tip for this is meant to be Régis Laconi. No doubt there are a few Ducati ‘privateers’ who would feel their riding this year might open this door to them, and Laconi is surely one of them.

Meanwhile, it seems the MonsterMob Ducati team, and probable British Champion Shane Byrne, will be stepping up to the World series in 2004, much as GSE Racing did with Hodgson in 2001. Presumably this will involve a bike of similar specification to those of Team PSG-1, Team Caracchi NCR, or D.F.X. Racing, all of whom currently run the 998RS machine. GSE, aka HM Plant Ducati, are the only squad currently blessed with year-old works bikes, although the earlier-spec versions have still shown themselves pretty useful in the hands of Laconi and Frankie Chili.