British Superbike teams will be subject to a foreign testing ban from the New Year, meaning the usual forays into Spain and southern France will not take place.
As of January 1, no contracted MCE-BSB team can test abroad which means everyone must use UK tracks in the run up to the season opener in April at Brands Hatch, but the ban has been imposed in conjunction with all teams involved, says series director Stuart Higgs.
Teams will also be restricted to a maximum of 12 days testing for the whole of the 2013 season but BSB have already put together four official test days at Donington, Brands Hatch and two days Snetterton.
"As far back as one of our regular teams meetings at Oulton Park in July, we've been discussing a policy for testing as BSB class teams have rightly identified that it is an area of considerable expense with varying returns and the Spanish tracks have little, if any points of reference with actual championship venues," said Higgs, speaking to bikesportnews.com this morning.
"Previously teams have done their own thing, usually in Spain, and various attempts to coordinate it haven't been that successful or cost effective. Also, the supposed one guarantee, the weather seems to have changed with recent Spanish tests curtailed by snow or other conditions and not a great deal of general difference with UK conditions, certainly our recent pre- season UK tests have had no significant weather issues.
"We are now in a period of rules stability, other than annually some evolvement with tyre development - on this point most agree that it's pretty pointless evaluating new things anywhere other than places we will actually race at.
There is also another very serious point, in that some of these European tests often get referred to as official BSB tests, however their general organisation and operation is about as far removed from a BSB organisation standard as you could get with minimal marshal and medical cover.
"This was highlighted with a very serious situation which occurred a couple of years go when Ed Rendell crashed whilst testing a 600cc Kawasaki in Spain. I was very distressed at the standard of immediate care he received after sustaining a broken pelvis, and it was a race against time to get him medically evacuated back to the UK.
"This was at a test that was nothing to do with BSB, yet we quickly got together with the team and family and helped source medical repatriation specialists. It was an extremely worrying time.
"We've been in dialogue with the BSB teams since July working up various options and we have now, together arrived at a policy for implementation."
2013 MCE BSB official tests
14 March Donington Park GP
19 March Brands Hatch
20 March Snetterton 300
21 March Snetterton 300
