RKB-F1 Motorsport announces exciting new plans ahead of the new season which will see the premier sidecar championship enjoy an unprecedented level of exposure and recognition within the BSB paddock. A twenty-race, ten round series is scheduled, with one race on Saturday, and a second race slotted between the two Superbike races mid-afternoon on Sunday enjoying prime-time live Eurosport television coverage. The one exception to this format is round five, when the series returns to the popular Mallory Park, scene of such close race action on its debut in 2016.

With the championship profile growing year on year, it is anticipated that interest in the series will exceed available grid capacity. Rules are therefore introduced to assist with that aspect. A maximum of twenty-two F1 outfits will qualify at each round to compete for the main British 1000cc Championship, with a further ten grid places allocated for 600cc machines fighting for 600cc Cup honours. This hugely successful initiative pioneered in 2016 boosted the main championship, and captured the imagination of many of the nation’s top 600cc runners. It is expected to attract a strong entry contingent, and again deliver top-class racing. RKB-F1 Motorsport is confident that this combined structure will ensure full grids, with the mouth-watering prospect of thrilling action all the way down the field.

Another exciting departure sees a “reverse grid” format for race two in which the top ten 1000cc machines and the top four 600’s will line-up in reverse order. Thus, race one 1000cc winner will take his place on the grid as tenth 1000cc machine and so on. In another ground-breaking move, any competitor unfortunate enough not to qualify under normal circumstances will be allowed to have a second bite of the cherry using the three-lap warm-up slot on Sunday as qualification.

These innovations were negotiated with BSB Race Director Stuart Higgs and his MSV team, and are widely accepted as a significant step forward for sidecar racing. They represent yet further progress in what has been a six year journey to position the sport back in the big league, and in the hearts and minds of the trackside and television motorcycle racing audience. 

Roger Body, RKB-F1 Motorsport series promoter, was extremely positive about the news. 

“This is a major move forward for us. We are committed to continuing this journey, and there are yet more ideas to come. We have come a long way in six years, and we are grateful for the cooperation and assistance we have had from Stuart Higgs and his MSV colleagues for their part in making it happen”.

Calender

15-17 April                        - Brands Hatch Indy, 
29 April-1 May                   - Oulton Park, 
16-18 June                       - Knockhill, 
30 June-2 July                  - Snetterton, 
9 July                                - Mallory Park, 
21-23 July                         - Brands Hatch GP, 
4-8 August                        - Thruxton, 
8-10 September                - Silverstone, 
29 September - 1 October - Assen, 
13-15 October                   - Brands Hatch GP.