The British Superbike Championship has tweaked its qualifying format for the 2020 season in an effort to place greater significance on free practice form.
The established three-stage ‘knockout’ format has been retained, but will run with the top six riders from the combined times of three practice sessions going straight through to the Q2 session rather than having to take part in Q1.
As such, Q1 will take place with all except the six riders seeded from the conclusion of free practice, with the leading 12 riders progressing to Q2. In all, 18 riders will participate in Q2 with the top 12 making it through to the pole-deciding Q3 session, an increase from the nine that have previously progressed.
It is similar in principle to MotoGP’s qualifying format, which sees the top ten from the end of three practice sessions move straight through into Q2, with the remaining riders battling it out for two available spots during a prior Q1 session.
"The three sessions (Q1/Q2/Q3) will be maintained with modifications designed to increase the purpose of the free practice sessions and to make Q1 and Q3 in particular an improved spectacle, said BSB Series Director Stuart Higgs.
"In the case of Q1, currently the fastest riders set an initial time and then sit the rest of the session session out. This new format will give more teams and riders exposure in that session, whilst Q3 will be slightly longer with 12 riders on track deciding the grid positions for the first four rows for Race 1."
2020 BSB Qualifying Format at a glance
Free Practice – The Top 6 riders on the combined timesheets of three practice sessions seeded to qualify straight to Q2
Q1 – All riders with the exception of the six seeded riders participate with the top 12 qualifying to Q2 (15mins session)
Q2 – Top 12 riders from Q1, plus the six seeded riders (18 in total) participated with the top 12 qualifying to Q3 (15mins session)
Q3 – 12 riders fight it out for pole position (10mins session)
