Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128130
Paolo Rammini BY ALAN CATHCART PHOTOS BY KEL EDGE f;,l7 orld Superbike supremo Paolo Flammini is a man on the spot. After 15 years of momentous growth, what started out life as a streetbikebased support class has developed into a Worldclass spectacle, whose four-stroke formula for close, competitive and always spectacular racing has transformed it into a potent pretender worthy of at least equal billing with the historically more purebred two-stroke Grand Prix Series. So much so that, in an unabashed effort to counter World Superbike's bid for number-one status in global road racing, Grand Prix racing promoters Dorna - presently owned by London-based venture capitalists CVC Capital Partners - have reinvented their category's premier 500cc class from next season onward, to include a 990cc fourstroke sub-division which all major bike manufacturers (as well as some minor ones) are committed to taking part in. World Superbike promoters Octagon Motorsports, whose Superbike International operating subsidiary is headed up by 38-year-old Flammini, has struggled to counter this threat to its championship, seeking to hold a fine balance W' 34 NOVEMBER 14,2001 • cue • e n e between the diverg~nt ingredients making up the World Superbike spectacle, while attempting to adjust the rules to reflect the realities of the streetbike market the class is derived from. At the final round of the 2001 World Superbike series at Imola on September 30, the fruits of Flammini's discussions with the Motorcycle Sports Manufacturers' Association (MSMA) were published in an outline by the FIM, with the announcement that a 1000cc formula would be adopted from 2004 onward (see attached FIM press release). But the flaccid wording of this document itself gave rise to controversy, with widespread uncertainty as to World Superbike's real future. What better way to get to the heart of the matter, therefore, than to visit Flammini in his Rome office, to seek answers about Octagon's future intentions - not only for the World Superbike class on which they're currently focused, but also on the huge sporting conglomerate's wider possible involvement in two-wheeled sport? So after all the turmoil of recent weeks, and the impending threat posed by MotoGP, there's one big question everyone is asking: does World Superbike have a future? I accept that we are at a crucial moment in the category's development - but I can assure your _ s readers that the Superbike class has a very bright future, and the reason we're talking together today is for me to tell them why. The agreement we have made with the MSMA and the FIM provides the basis for a strong long-term growth - we're not interested in planning only for the next two or three years, but for the next 20 years or more, to ensure the future success of a category which, in international terms, has grown beyond all expectations in the past decade and a half to become a major force in world racing. The significance of the pact with the MSMA is that all six manufacturers which are party to this [Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki, Ducati and Aprilia 1have confirmed they will each be competing in World Superbike from 2004 onward. This incredible agreement is a life insurance for Superbike for the next decade and beyond - but in the short term, there's been a lot of speculation about what will happen in 2002 and 2003, that these will be two wasted years, and I want to answer this directly. Firstly, we have not abandoned the idea that we should convince the MSMA to accept the introduction of the 1000cc rule for all types of motorcycles in 2003 - one year earlier than they have proposed. We are still discussing this with them, and in the