Introduced as a support class to the World Superbike Championship in 1999, Supersport racing has been one of the most popular classes of national racing for many years.

All Supersport bikes start life as stock production bikes of 600cc (for four-cylinders) or 750cc (for two-cylinders) but with much tighter tuning regulations than in WSB. The chassis of a Supersport machine must remain largely as standard, while engine tuning is possible but tightly regulated. As in WSB, a control tyre is used, although Supersport regulations dictate that the rubber must be road legal and therefore slicks are not allowed.

Currently there is one World Supersport race at every World Superbike round. Starting positions are decided by the riders’ fastest lap from two 45-minute qualifying sessions and each race is approximately 100km long. Traditionally Supersport has produced one of the most hotly contested championships in the world and with the 600cc sportsbike class continuing in popularity the series looks set to rise in importance and popularity.