All-New World Supersport 300 Championship Just Around The Corner

FIM (Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme) along with Dorna WSBK Organisation has announced a brand new racing category, the World Supersport 300 (WSS 300) championship for 2017. The new class of motorcycle racing will be introduced as a subordinate championship to the World Superbike Championship (WSBK). The WSS 300 will act as breeding grounds for the WSBK championship and will nurture young talents.

The new category will allow production-based machines to participate and has a minimum participation age of 15 years for riders. This particular format of racing could be very useful for young Indian riders as well. Reason being, the bikes competing in the series will be the likes of the Kawasaki Ninja300, the Yamaha YZF-R3, the KTM RC390, all of which are quite popular with Indian racers. Also, with the emerging motorsport fan following in the country, the sport could attract a lot of enthusiasts from the country.

Commenting on the new category of the sport, president of the FIM, Vito Ippolito said, “This new platform will be the perfect environment for developing future talent.The intention of WorldSS 300 is to create a benchmark for National Championships to follow. We want to offer an environment that is regulated and relatively equal in which future talent can grow, and where manufacturers can accompany young riders as they take their first steps towards stardom.”

Whereas, Javier Alonso, executive director of WSBK, stated: “The focus is to have an affordable Series for these young competitors.”

The cost of all the bikes will be kept under control by applying the one-bike rule to all the riders, whereas the bike will use universally homologated parts.

There’s no further information on the race calendar for the first season of the WSS 300 series, but it's about time that FIM and Dorna WSBK announce that as well. It is also expected to announce the teams and the riders for the 2017 season. Do watch out for the latest updates on the brand new racing series.