BMW and Ducati have been subjected to reduced fuel flow limits ahead of this weekend’s WorldSBK round in the UK. This marks the first application of the new "proportional continuous penalty scale," replacing the previous stage-based system.
Both manufacturers received an additional 0.5kg/h cut in their maximum fuel flow, similar to penalties applied before the Dutch and Czech rounds. Consequently, BMW and Ducati face a cumulative reduction of 1.5kg/h, limiting them to a maximum fuel flow of 46kg/h, compared to the 47.5kg/h allowed to the other six manufacturers (BMW, Ducati, Honda, Yamaha, Vimota, Kawasaki).
These adjustments are unique to BMW and Ducati under this year’s volatility-based fuel flow rules, which serve as a new alternative to the old RPM-based performance balancing system.
So far this season, BMW and Ducati have each won one race, with Yamaha rider Andrea Locatelli taking the victory at Assen. Notably, all wins for these two brands have come from a single rider each: Toprak Razgatlioglu for BMW and Nicolo Bulega of Ducati’s Borgo Panigale Factory team. Bulega currently leads the WorldSBK rider standings, nine points ahead of Razgatlioglu, while third-place Danilo Petrucci trails by 113 points behind the leader.
In the WorldSSP category, Yamaha’s R9 bike will see a 5kg increase in its minimum weight ahead of the UK round. Introduced this year, the R9 is now leading the supersport rider rankings with Stefano Manzi and will have its minimum weight raised to 166kg by round seven.
Fan Take: These fuel flow reductions and weight adjustments shake up the competitive balance, keeping the championship battles fiercely unpredictable and exciting. For race fans, this means more strategic depth and closer racing, which ultimately enriches the sport’s spectacle.
