FIM Moves to Outlaw Aprilia’s RSV4 Cam Gear Kit for 2011
The FIM has released revised regulations for the 2011 World Superbike Championship which will effectively ban the cam gear drive kit that Aprilia is using to good effect this season. For 2011 the method of cam drive must remain as on the homologated motorcycle.
The Aprilia RSV4 has been a rocket this year in the hands of World Superbike Championship leader Max Biaggi who has taken 9 victories on what is clearly the fastest bike. When Aprilia re-joined the series last year there were many grumblings about what was claimed was almost a pseudo MotoGP machine such was the race readiness of the new RSV4. After a year to get everything sorted out, Max is looking increasingly dominant as Leon Haslam’s challenge appears to be fading.
The use of the gear cam drive by Aprilia this year has been controversial although named as legal following protests. It involves installing cam gear drive as an aftermarket kit (the road bikes cams are chain driven). Although the street bikes have the machining for this and the kit is commercially available many manufacturers, Ducati amongst them, were not happy.
Now for 2011, the FIM have moved to close this loophole and Aprilia will need to either homologate the gear drive system consequently significantly increasing the road bike price or change the racer back to chains.
Superbike (World SBK)
- The method of cam drive (chain, belt or gears) must remain as on the homologated motorcycle unless a complete kit is available through normal commercial channels. Only one front wheel rim width is allowed: 3.50in.
link: Ultimate Motorcycling
The fact remains however that although the Aprilia got faster with the gear cam drive system which allows for better control of cam timing at high revs (since there are no chains to stretch), it was already comfortably the fastest Superbike in the series.
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