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World SuperSport Championship

2^nd November 2008

Since 1999, the World SuperSport Championship has been accompanying the World Superbike Championship and it is open to bikes with four-stroke engines between 400 and 600cc, and with two-stroke engines between 600 and 750cc.

The class regulations are tighter than in the Superbike championship, with practically the whole original chassis being retained, while the engine may be modified to a limited extent. Even the tyres are similar to normal road tyres. Taken together, this can lead to a thrilling race in which the anticipated winner can quickly be forced to retire in frustration.

The rounds of the World Supersport Championship run in parallel with the World Superbike Championship with the starting positions being decided by the fastest laps completed by the riders in two 45-minute qualifying sessions. Each race covers a distance of about 100 km.

Miguel Praia trying to make his mark

With two years' experience of the Superbike competition and two more in the Supersport class, the Algarve motorcyclist Miguel Praia (Parkalgar Racing Team) will be carrying all the hopes of the Portuguese. With the team now part of HRC (Honda Racing), he will have a completely new bike “full of small but delicious details” he says.

There will be 36 bikes on the starting grid from 14 different countries, the main ones being Italy (7), Great Britain and France (5 each). The participation of two former Supersport world champions, Andrew Pitt and Fabien Foret, three winners of SuperBike races, Pitt, Chris Walker and Garry McCoy, two Superstock champions, Didier Van Keymeulen and Lorenzo Alfonsi and one 125 World Champion, Arnaud Vincent, promises to make this year's event the most unpredictable ever.