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In what is set to be one of the most competitive seasons of racing in its 35-year history, the 2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship has continuous excitement building. Ahead of the season kicking off, we’ve been going through some of the key stories as to why the golden era of WorldSBK is set to continue. Here, we put them in one place, for your ultimate guide to 2023.

THE GOLDEN ERA CONTINUES: rookies, the titanic trio and more

Coming into the 2023 season, there’re headlining rookies with plenty of calibre, perhaps making for one of the strongest rookie line-up in recent years. 2021 Moto2™ World Champion Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) moves to WorldSBK, with his teammate being double WorldSSP Champion Dominique Aegerter. Then, there’s multiple MotoGP™ Grand Prix winner Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team), as well as 2022 WorldSSP runner-up Lorenzo Baldassarri (GMT94 Yamaha) and MotoE™ World Cup race winner Eric Granado. Reigning BSB champion Bradley Ray (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) will take part in the European rounds. As well as that, there’s heightened focus on Gardner, who will start his WorldSBK career at home and he set out some names he’d like to emulate. Petrucci is also aiming to become the 18^th rider to win in both MotoGP™ and WorldSBK; can he do it?

Leading the way going into 2023 however is the titanic trio, consisting of reigning World Champion Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), 2021 World Champion Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) and six-time World Champion and most successful WorldSBK rider of all time, Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK). But will they be caught in 2023? Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) has been fast in all tests, whilst Andrea Locatelli topped the first session of the Official Test. On top of that, BMW and Honda are looking to make a step and join the party at the front in the fight for victory, whereas Kawasaki will have an updated engine specification for 2023. Meanwhile, there’s a big returnee in Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing), with the 2013 World Champion back on the WorldSBK grid.

REGULATIONS and WorldSSP changes: no combined weight in WorldSBK

Coming into the 2023 season, there will be no rider/bike combined weight, whilst a full list of the regulation changes and updates can be found here. For WorldSSP, it’s a complete land of opportunity, with 14 rookies and plenty of team changes taking place between 2022 and 2023. There will also be a sixth manufacturer on the grid, as Honda return to the class. On top of that, there’ll be a new Pirelli tyre in WorldSSP, making for an extra dynamic.

2023 SEASON PREVIEW: your FREE 45-minute guide to the season

Another year, another chapter in the WorldSBK history books, but who will it be who signs their name come the end of the season? The 45-minute WorldSBK season preview show is ready to watch FREE on YouTube, where you can hear from all of the WorldSBK field, plus some of the stars in WorldSSP, to find out everyone’s thoughts. There’s also an interview with WorldSBK Executive Director Gregorio Lavilla, as well as the top riders’ thoughts on who their main rival will be in 2023.

USEFUL BACK-STORIES: additional essentials you can’t afford to miss

Now, you have your ultimate guide to the 2023 season. For the opening round, you can find the Official Programme link here, whilst you can enjoy FREE live timing throughout the test and the full season here. If you missed anything from 2022, the season review is also FREE on our YouTube channel here, whilst the gripping in-depth behind-the-scenes story of Alvaro Bautista’s title success – watch our WorldSBK original documentary: Alvaro Bautista – The Return, can be found here.

THE GOLDEN ERA CONTINUES: watch the drama, excitement and fierce elbows-out action with the WorldSBK VideoPass!