We’re in the process of introducing a number of new sections here at MotoOnline.com.au, with this week’s introduction being The Point, where we get industry insiders to tackle the tough topics of Australian motorcycling.

The Point this week is Australian Superbike Championship regulations. Should they remain as they currently are, or should a more standardised Superstock-spec rule set be put in place in the future?

Here’s the opinion from some of the leading identities in Australian road racing, featuring factory and privateer team owners and riders. Take what you can from it, but it’s definitely a major talking point in Superbike circles right now.

BRYAN STARING (Cougar Bourbon Honda Racing privateer and QLD Superbike winner):
“I think that the rules are fine as they are. This year we’re seeing a good showcase of Superbike and Superstock together within the same race, both at a very good level. I guess you’d have to look into it towards the end of the year whether or not people have currently are racing Superbike can afford to go again. As a rider I don’t want to ride anything more standard, so I think that we need to do everything that we can to save the Superbike class and leave the bikes as they are. Compared to the result of the world our bikes are already quite standard.

“I can see that the expense of the bikes can be an issue in developing them with the things that you constantly need, because the teams with the big budgets keep improving and evolving their bikes. I think the bikes are great to ride, and as you can see, all the brands are competitive in the ASBK right now.

“I don’t have any more idea or influence in what we can do to move ahead – I think it’s good the way that it is. I think the control tyre is a good thing as well, as far as parity goes, giving everybody the same chance to succeed. That’s my opinion.”

GEOFF WINZER (Demolition Plus GAS Honda Racing team owner):
“I think that we’ve nearly got it right, except for all the mucking around that’s been going on with the tyres. I think the actual bikes in the current specifications are not too expensive.

“The biggest expense that we have is the tyres, and I honestly don’t know how they are ever going to fix that. But there’s not a lot of money spent in these engines – it’s mainly labour, your own ideas, and I can’t see any real savings financially if you went and changed the engine. I’m happy for them to leave [the rules] alone.

“If the boys who ride these bikes don’t fall off them very often, the expense is all in the tyres and like I said, I don’t know how anybody would fix that problem in motorsport.”

SHANNON JOHNSON (KTM Superbike Team factory rider):
“There’s obviously pros and cons for everything, but to be honest for us in Australia right now, the pro is for the guys who do have aspirations to go overseas. The jump from what we have to a world level is not that great, but if we go to standard motorcycles then I believe it will hurt the future of the sport.

“I believe the rules should remain as is for the premier classes because I believe if you take away the development then it’s going to be detrimental to the sport. Maybe not in the next 12-18 months, but not to far into the future it would hurt the youth of the sport.”

PAUL FREE (Ducati Motologic Racing team owner):
“The regulations as they are now in 2010, I think are perfect. They bring all the motorcycles to a very similar performance level as you saw on the weekend in Queensland, so I don’t think that there needs to be anything changed.

“I know that it’s in the wind to apply restrictors to the V-twins next year, and when I look at that I think that they clearly don’t want V-twins in the sport. They’ve got no advantage currently, and the way that the current regulations are, all of the bikes are at a very similar performance point when they are modified.

“I think it’s an affordable regulation what we’ve currently got, and a privateer [Bryan Staring] won both races on the weekend, didn’t he? Wayne [Maxwell] is competitive on a privateer Honda, and [Glenn] Allerton is competitive. As it stands with the current regulations there is enough stuff that you can modify on all the different bikes, which is enough to make them all competitive as they currently are.”

SHAWN GILES (Team Suzuki factory rider and three-time ASBK champion):
“Personally I think that the rules the way they are fine. Anybody can buy a Suzuki GSX-R1000 and build the same bike that we’ve got. Just look at Scott Charlton, his privateer bike is basically the same as our bike. You don’t have to spend a heap of money to build a competitive Superbike. Also look at Craig [Coxhell] for instance, he’s on a Superstock bike with just an exhaust on it and he’s running up there in the Superbike class doing similar times on a virtually stock bike.

“Either way I think it’s good, but I personally believe our rules are perfect for Australia. When we had the N-tec tyres we were doing basically the same times as World Superbikes at Phillip Island, and they’ve got loads of money spent on them. There’s not a great deal that you have to spend on a bike to make it competitive apart from getting cams, porting the cylinder head, and that’s basically it. None of the bottom ends get modified or anything like that.

“I don’t think that data is a huge advantage, I mean it’s obviously an aide but they still have to listen to the rider. At Team Suzuki, Phil [Tainton] will always read the data, but he still has to listen to the rider because the data’s not always right. It still comes down to good rider input that makes all the difference.”

CRAIG COXHELL (CJC Racing privateer and QLD Superstock 1000 winner):
“I think that it’s good to have the production Superbikes the way that they are because you get the fast engine and greater control of the bike, but in saying that, I know how hard it is to get sponsors. So to be fair to everybody it’s probably easier and cheaper to run the bikes as Superstock bikes.

“Look at the BMW, it’s almost standard and is nearly putting out as much horsepower as a Superbike standard. I think that Superstock bikes with slicks on is quite competitive, so if they are going to go that way of Superstock specifications then we need to remain on slick tyres. They could still call it Superbike, just without going to all the trouble of building a $10,000 to $15,000 engine.

“We were looking to build a Superbike engine to run toward the end of the season, but to be quite honest we don’t have a sponsor – Shepparton Motor Body Builders is putting in 98 percent of the budget required to go racing so it’s hard for us to build an engine. If everybody was in the same boat with stock engines then I’m sure that the BMW would be dominating, which would be good for the sport because there’s another brand in the class.

“I also think that they should go to a one bike rule like they do over in England now. When I was over there recently a lot of the guys said it was saving them a lot of money by only having to buy and develop one bike, instead of spending all of that second bike basically.”

RAY HOWARD (Yamaha Motor Australia motorsport manager):
“We’re all for a more stock or standardised rule set in the Superbike class. We did go as far as to make a dollar comparison, which was self-explanatory. That’s about all we have to say about it – we’re all for it and it’s been well documented. We try to keep in the ASBK as much as we can, but at a much lower cost. We will be back in Queensland at the next round in Supersport, because the proximity of that facilitates it for us on a cost basis. And if the ASBK didn’t clash with Winton last weekend then we may have been there on the weekend also.”