Triumph Daytona 765, Ducati V2 set for Supersport eligiability in British pilot
The Triumph Daytona 765 and Ducati Panigale V2 will feature on the British Supersport grid in 2021 as Dorna evaluates options for the international class
The British Supersport Championship will become the proving ground for the potential next generation of international Supersport class regulations in a move that could see Ducati return to the fray and Triumph enter its Daytona 765.
With the Supersport class - which traditionally in recent years has ranged from 600cc to 750cc machinery - becoming increasingly obselete as the roadgoing models on which they are based divert away in terms of specification, the FIM and Dorna have been evaluating the prospect of widening the scope for the coming seasons.
As such, it has agreed to allow machines outside of these parameters to potentially get involved, namely the Triumph Daytona 765 - which is based around the 765cc engine used in Moto2 - and the 959cc twin-cylinder Ducati Panigale V2.
Opting against introducing this outright for the 2021 WorldSSP season, Dorna will instead task the British Supersport series with becoming the test bed for balance of performance, with one Triumph 765 set to compete, before the Ducati joins later in the season.
"We are always open for better ways to improve the motorsport and I’m happy to see that our ideas match with so many Promoters at National level and FIM," said WorldSBK Sporting & Organisatinal department executive director Gregorio Lavilla.
"To have the support of MSVR helping to develop this idea is great and we will work closely with all parts involved for this to be a success, with the future to have equal regulations in both Championships and maybe other national series."
Ducati last competed in WorldSSP in 2007 when the last of its Ducati 748/749 entries was entered before the machine slipped out of regulation range when it was updated with an 848cc engine.
In addition to Ducati and Triumph, MV Agusta is also expected to take advantage of any change in regulations to swap its F3 675 models for an F3 800 entry.