On December 5, the FIM Superbike Commission announced radical changes to how the grid for the second race on each World Superbike weekend will be formed in 2017.

For Race One, the grid will be formed based upon the results from the Superpole qualifying sessions.

For Race Two, the riders who finished fourth, fifth and sixth in Race One will start from the first, second and third grid positions, respectively, on the front row. Likewise, the riders who finished Race One in seventh, eighth and ninth positions will start Race Two from the fourth, fifth and sixth grid positions, respectively, on the second row. The riders who finished first, second and third in Race One will start Race Two from the ninth, eighth and seventh grid positions, respectively, on the third row of the grid. The riders who finish Race One in 10th place or higher will line up on the grid for Race Two in order based upon their Superpole/qualifying results.

To see how this will work, view a video graphic on the official World Superbike website here: http://www.worldsbk.com/en/videos/2016/WorldSBK%2…

Roadracingworld.com contacted Dorna WSBK and asked for more information behind the decision to make this unprecedented change to the Race Two gridding procedure. Here are the responses we received.

MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship, Race 2 Grid decision:

Daniel Carrera, WorldSBK Championship Director:

¨It is something that we have started evaluating since we arrived to the Championship back in 2013. During these first years we focused on the technical regulations of the category with the target to reduce cost, increase competition and find a balance of performance for WorldSBK manufactures on the grid. Building on this experience and by moving Race 1 to Saturday, we believe we need to make a clear difference between Race 1 and Race 2. We evaluated many options and we have concluded that the system where the first 9 riders from Race 1 determine the grid for Race 2 is the best possible outcome. By making Race 1 and Race 2 so different, we hope for the interest to build throughout the weekend, as well as increase the chances of reaching the end of the season with the largest number of riders fighting for the title. By making this welcomed change to the World Superbike Championship, we believe it will provide teams and fans alike with more intrigue and close call action for an already action packed weekend. On top of this, it will keep the series filled with the excitement and anticipation we have already seen throughout the year. By allowing the rider who finished in 4th to start from pole position, it should bring a closer and gripping fight for the victory. With our new initiative we hope to build even more anticipation on what is already set to be an action-packed 2017 World Superbike season. We understand this was a controversial decision but we believe it is one which offers the best way to bring intrigue and excitement to the series; and with the support of the riders and teams alike we believe this is the best step to take for World Superbikes.”

Gregorio Lavilla WorldSBK Sporting Director:

“We are very excited about the introduction of the new grid system for the FIM MOTUL World Superbike Championship. It is a decision which we think will bring an exciting twist to the 2017 WorldSBK season. By reversing the front three rows of the grid it will bring added variety to the already exhilarating racing series, and we hope will provide fans with even more action over the weekend. We came to the decision in order to personify ¨Racing at the highest level¨, we are the highest level of 2-wheel Production based racing, so we need to bring that intrigue, emotion and interest to the table, as well as to bring a fresh twist to an already thrilling race day. On top of the additional excitement with the sporting element, it will provide added opportunities to offer a greater exposure for teams and riders. It will also give riders a chance to correct a bad qualifying session, therefore giving everyone a fair value over the weekend.”