World Sportbike
As alluded to during our recent three-part interview with Scott Smart, the FIM and WorldSBK have officially announced that the World Supersport 300 Championship will be replaced in 2026 by a new category: the World Sportbike class.
This new class will closely follow the format established by the British Superbike Championship’s Sportbike category, which has gained traction over the past two seasons.
At the opening round of BSB this year, Dutch rider Kas Beekmans took a narrow Sportbike victory on a Suzuki GSX-8R, edging out Harrison Dessoy on a Triumph 600.
Fenton Seabright finished fourth on an Aprilia RS at the BSB Sportbike series opener this year. Other bikes featured in the series include the Yamaha YZF-R7, Kawasaki Ninja 650, CFMOTO 675SR-R, Kove 450RR Pro, and the Honda Hornet 750. These are the types of motorcycles we can expect to see in World Sportbike.
It is anticipated that World Sportbike will be closely modelled off this class
All Sportbike entries in BSB currently run a controlled Mektronic ECU package and firmware, with performance balancing targeting an output of around 95 horsepower.
Similar to the Next Generation Supersport ruleset, each homologated model has an Authorised Parts List, restricting modifications to approved components, with price caps enforced across various parts to maintain cost control.
While technical and sporting regulations for the World Sportbike category are still to be finalised, it’s expected that they will closely mirror those in use within the BSB Sportbike class — with a clear emphasis on cost containment, competitive parity, and production-based racing.
Sportbike will replace Supersport 300 as the stepping stone to World Supersport.
