When the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb changed the rules for motorcycling up the hill, racers weren’t pleased. They thought that limiting the race bikes to production models with single handlebars stock would increase the race’s safety. However, PPIHC officials didn’t realize that they may have actually been blazing the trails of the newest racing class.

Is World Supersport Racing Done For?

MCN’s very own Mat Oxley sat down for an interview with the World Superbike Executive Director Xavier Alonso to have a chat about WSBK. However, the journo may have stumble onto a story far bigger than what he expected. As a matter of fact, what he learned could change world motorcycle racing for the foreseeable future.

Alonso revealed that Dorna—the governing body of World Superbike—has decided that the World Supersport class has met its end. That’s right. He didn’t say it might go, he said the class was finito, washed up, done for!

It seems that the worldwide sales of 600cc production supersports have tanked so low that Dorna can’t find much reason to keep the class going. So what would replace these small displacement machines? Naked bikes!

Those same standard motorcycles that now dominate motorcycle racing on Pikes Peak are now going to take over in a new class of world stage racing. Alonso didn’t reveal what displacement these new bikes would use, but he did make it clear that nakeds are the future.

What naked bike would you like to see competing on the race track? The KTM 1290 Super Duke, the Aprilia Tuono, or maybe the BMW S1000R? Tell your motorcycling attorneys which bikes you want to see racing on our Twitter and Facebook feeds. You can also keep following our blog to find out when this new class of racing will roll out.