Poll: What do you think BSB's future rules should be?

BSB has to consider change because motorcycle sales are plummeting, particularly the Japanese big four, who have seen a massive 45.5% decline in sales since 2006. And they’ve  been hit by the falling value of the yen, which has led to a 40% rise in machine costs, although prices have not been increased by the same amount due to market pressures.

While HM Plant Honda is the only BSB team directly run by the importer, rival teams owned by private individuals still enjoy financial and/or technical support from their respective UK importers so virtually every top team is affected by what is happening in Japan.

BSB introduced Evo last year to trial a lower-cost option but it also proved that a control ecu can be made to work and, at around £8000 for the ecu and loom, it’s far more cost-effective than some of the complex systems that some teams are currently running.

From the discussions I’ve had with BSB team bosses, the favoured option for the future seems to call for a control ecu across the board, with the BSB class sticking with fully-tuned engines and Evo remaining with stock engines – but with the latter needing help in form a new prize-fund structure/participation allowance to ensure the grid count at the lower end of the field remains healthy.

Good idea or not? Let us know what you think in our poll: