Take a good look at WSS Supersport this season because in 2022 it will no longer look like it did from its origins. The Japanese 600 vitamins will no longer have exclusivity since other engines will arrive, with other manufacturers, all European. They will be bigger and therefore theoretically stronger, which gives us a technical regulation that is a real headache. Will there be fairness? Some who have already been involved for several years doubt there will be harmony in what will be their world after...
2022 in the Supersport new version will see Ducati 955 twin-cylinder, Triumph three-cylinder 765 and MV Agusta more muscular who will thus be authorized to come and challenge the 600 Japanese. Said like that, the Yamaha and other Kawasaki don't seem to have any chance. But the expected regulation will have the mission of putting all these beautiful people on an equal footing.
For some, it is a mission impossible and a lost quest. GP One went to see the team Evan Bros, led by Fabio Evangelista to find out their feelings on the issue. And clearly, we have no illusions about what will follow…
« I think this situation is really worrying » began Evangelista. “ I just say worrying because we are changing the history of the WSSP for political and commercial reasons, leading it to ruin. I want to emphasize this last concept! In recent years the WSSP has grown, the championship is exciting, there are 30 riders at the start who confirm the appeal and now someone wants to change all that. The risk is that the efforts made over all these years will be wasted ».
However, this change is made necessary by the evolution of the sports car market where there are almost no more than 600 in dealerships... A reality recognized by the interlocutor who, however, does not vary his feeling: " perhaps we should wake up a little earlier, given that for two years nothing has been done to concretely address the change in regulations. Now, however, we are here, at the end of September, to face a new championship without even knowing what we are facing. I'm the first to say that sales of the 600s plummeted, but we should have prepared for that, starting with a solid foundation, instead nothing was done ».
Supersport must reflect the market
He explains : " it will be impossible to compare the performance of the Ducati Panigale V2 with the Yamaha R6. Because maybe at the start of the Championship you will find a bike to win and then the situation will be reversed a few races later. In addition to this aspect, there is another one that I would like to highlight: I hear that costs will go down and that is not true. Making a Supersport, with a bike like the Ducati, means investing a minimum of 200 euros if you want to aim for victory. Beyond this aspect we must then add the costs linked to development. Economic engagement will increase instead of decrease ».
« At the moment we are trying to understand what to do to close 2021 in the best possible way and choose the best solution for next year, although it will not be easy” the manager finishes. “ One possibility could be to land in WSBK, but then the costs increase sharply. At the same time, I look around me. I spoke to Yamaha, but I have already listened to other manufacturers to understand what they can offer me. In these months we will understand better how to move, aware that time is running out and in a week we are in October ».
The new WSS is therefore a big leap into the unknown. But it was that or simply disappear because we must not lose sight of the fact that all the categories in this paddock are supposed to reflect the reality of the motorcycle market. Waiting for, Yamaha won the fifth consecutive constructors' championship in the category this weekend in Jerez. His last ?
