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Bimota halted from further competition in FIM Superbike World Championship rounds

The Italian manufacturer reappeared under new management and showed promise when they announced their new model, the Bimota BB3 at the EICMA show in Milan last November. Plans for participation in the 2014 FIM Superbike World Championship emerged and they were in contact with the FIM and Dorna.

Participation in the FIM Superbike and Supersport World Championships or in the FIM Superstock 1000cc Cup requires any manufacturer to produce a minimum number of street legal motorcycles, identical to the presented model for homologation, at the initial inspection (125 units), before participation. Furthermore, other minimum quantities must be produced at subsequent dates (250 units by the end of the first year; 1000 units by the end of the second year).

Changes in economy and the motorcycle market in the past 5 years made FIM and Dorna reduce the required entry level and total production numbers. Additionally, a new rule was installed, allowing manufacturers to participate in Superbike events for a period of 4 months from initial date of participation without scoring points. By the end of the four month period, the manufacturer in question must show proof of 125 units produced at the initial inspection visit.

To date, past the 4 month period, Bimota has informed FIM and Dorna that the required quantity has not been produced. The homologation procedure and their participation is on hold until the date that the Italian manufacturer can meet the homologation requirements.

 

4 Comments

  1. Brinskee says:

    Norm, you revel in the fact that you know more about the industry (at least the racing side) than any of us, so please explain:

    Why or how on God’s green would someone be able to profit by a small, non-powerful, non-influential, and in modern times, inconsequential manufacturer’s failure to build the minimum requirements for homologation? Who would profit? How? Are you wearing a tinfoil hat?

    • Norm G. says:

      re: “Why or how on God’s green would someone be able to profit by a small, non-powerful, non-influential, and in modern times, inconsequential manufacturer’s failure to build the minimum requirements for homologation?”

      there’s a actually a superior question that must be asked BEFORE this that you’re missing…

      how on GOD’s GREEN (after the ousting of Whitelock) does a consortium of at least 3 industry professionals (Smart, Alonzo, Lavilla, etc) with almost 60 years experience combined, come together with the world watching to adjust homologation requirements for a series recently taken over by Dorna…

      only to get it wrong…?

    • Norm G. says:

      Q: Are you wearing a tinfoil hat?

      A: not so much, i employ carbon fiber. tinfoil’s so Cold War, Old Hat.

      get it…? “Old Hat”…? see what I did there…? 🙂

      shaped using the advanced principles of “continuous curvature” (ya know, like the B2), i’m left with the radar cross signature of a WASP. a wasp that stings with a yield of 20 MEGATONNES.

      if you see me…? (tsk tsk) that means it’s already too late.

  2. Norm G. says:

    I called this from the very beginning. it was simply…

    NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN.

    they were screwed by the powers that be with the recently adjusted “1000 units” requirement for ALL manufacturers. back at the turn of the century, they (the FIM, the Flammini’s, somebody?) once used a “percent of overall sales” method (aprilia ironically got stung by this), so they KNEW there was a better way, yet chose different. still getting to the bottom of who had motive.

    (my SPIDEY senses are tingling, or maybe that’s just my nether regions…?)

    anyway, I contend someone stood to GAIN by setting before Bimota this “unrealistic hurdle” for them to jump over.

    if I was able to figure out they were going to fail from the outset…? then somebody else MUCH CLOSER TO THE SITUATION sure as hell knew.

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