Airwaves Ducati team manager Colin Wright has spoken to www.bikesportnews.com about the weight limit furore and explained the issues surrounding why the outfit has had to withdraw from this weekend.
He said the safety issues are absolutely real and that the MCRCB could not, in all seriousness, expect the team to attach five bags of sugar to the bikes without testing them to see what the effects are.
"I have been in consultation from Monday to see if the MCRCB would meet us halfway and add five kilos so we can race at Donington, as we think we could cope with that, but no dice.
"We don't know what extra stresses it puts on the engine, the frame or on the brakes. We also have to see that it doesn't interfere with the rider.
"We can't have four days to add that amount of weight without testing to see where we can put in safely. We will do it and test before Snetterton because we have to.
"Our bikes are 165kg dry bang on. The tank holds 18kgs of fuel and uses it at half-a-kilo a lap, but surely it must be up to us to run with a heavy fuel load or not. And we can't take into account fuel used behind a safety car."
The FIM rulebook, which would appear not to apply to BSB just to WSB, says this about minmum weights and adjustments:
Minimum weight adjustments
The minimum weights will be increased or decreased in steps of 3 kg
according to the following procedure:
1. By taking the race points of the riders of the best two 1000 cc
4 cylinders and best two 1200 cc 2 cylinders in each race an average
will be calculated after every event, the ‘event average’.
If there is only one finisher from one of the configurations, the ‘event
average’will be calculated from the first rider of each configuration in
each race.
No ‘event average’ points will be calculated if one of the
configurations has no finishers. The ‘event average’ will then be
calculated, based on the results of the other race from the same
event.
If neither race has any finishers from one of the configurations, the
event will not be considered.
2. ‘Wet’ races (as declared by the Race Director) are not taken in account
for the calculation of an ‘event average’.
3. After 3 events, the average value of the ‘event averages’ of each
configuration will be calculated. The score of the 1000 cc 4 cylinders
and the score of the 1200 cc 2 cylinders will be compared as follows:
• Should the average value of the ‘event averages’ over 3 events
favour the 1200 cc 2 cylinders by more than 5 points, and if a rider
of a machine with this configuration is leading the riders’
Superbike World Championship standings at that time, then the
minimum weight of all 1200 cc 2 cylinders will be increased by
3 kg. The upper limit is 171 kg.
• Should average value of the ‘event averages’over 3 events favour
the 1000 cc 4 cylinders by more than 5 points, and if a rider of a
machine with this configuration is leading the riders’ Superbike
World Championship standings at that time, then the minimum
weight of all 1200 cc 2 cylinders will be reduced by 3 kg. The lower
limit is 162 kg.
If you apply this to the current situation, the twins have a two-point advantage, so it begs the question from where did ten kilos come?
We have attemped to contact Stuart Higgs of the MCRCB, but he's not answering his phone.