The Kawasaki British Superteens class will debut in 2024 as a new series aimed at young riders, taking advantage of the recently announced Kawasaki ZX-4RR.
Since the British Talent Cup was inaugurated in 2017, there has been a more formalised route to the top of motorcycling for young British talent, and that landscape looks set to improve with the beginning of the Kawasaki British Superteens in 2024.
The class will be primarily aimed at teenagers, with the eligible age range stretching from 15-to-20-years-old, and will use the much-anticipated Kawasaki ZX-4RR.
The new class is also confirmed to be running as part of the British Superbike Championship, meaning participating riders will be able to gain experience on circuits they are likely to continue on as their career progresses should they remain in the BSB paddock. To make space for the new class, the Junior Supersport class (running Supersport 300-spec machinery) will be dropped from the BSB roster.
At the end of the 2024 championship, the winner will receive a prize of a Kawasaki ZX-6R road bike, which would be eligible for a racing conversion to compete in either National Junior Superstock or British Supersport in the following season.
Each bike that competes in the series will be built by MSS Performance, an official technical partner of Kawasaki Team Green. The bikes will be built to two specifications, which Kawasaki says is “to suit every budget.” Prices begin at £12,000, plus VAT.
Ross Burridge, Head of Marketing & Racing Department at Kawasaki UK: “As soon as we saw this model on the production plan, we knew it was destined for the race track! To have the BSB Championship promoter MSVR on board and enabling us to have a class entirely devoted to this bike is fantastic!
“We are excited to be able to offer a competitively priced and exciting race package to young riders looking to develop their racing careers. The Team Green ethos has always been about supporting young talent and offering opportunities on track, so we cannot wait to take this one step further with this new class in 2024.”
Stuart Higgs, Bennetts British Superbike Championship Series Director: “It is 32 years since the British circuit promoters launched the first 'Superteen' Championship, and within the entry list was James Haydon, David Jefferies, John McGuiness and Michael Rutter. We are tremendously excited to bring the 'Superteen' name back to British Championship status.
“Together with our partner Kawasaki UK we are re-calibrating this most important entry level class with a new motorcycle that will benefit team and rider development, and importantly be contained to tight budget and regulations parameters. Any major change to the championship structure is carefully considered and current Junior Supersport machines will be eligible for many different regional and national club championships.”
