There is also a collection of satellite efforts which feature, among others, Ducati 998F-bikes and a Pirelli-shod, Ten Kate-built CBR1000RR. In addition, Renegade Ducati team principle Mark Griffiths reportedly plans to field Noriyuki Haga and Leon Haslam in select BSB rounds that don't conflict with their World Superbike schedule.

The British Superbike series hasn't just seen an increased level of mechanical support from Japan, they've also had their ranks bolstered by 'Triple-A' Japanese talent lately as well. Last year Suzuki shipped Yukio Kagayama to the UK, and he emerged as a breakout star and multiple race winner. Honda has followed suit this year by slotting '03 interim-MotoGP runner Ryuichi Kiyonari into the HM Plant Honda team.

All of this momentum has not gone unnoticed. Earlier this month Dorna Sports, the commercial rights holder of MotoGP, stepped into the British Superbike series in the same capacity.*

The Release, From Dorna

* The following is the Dorna/MCRCB press release that announced Dorna's BSB involvement: Friday 5th March, 2004 Dorna Sports S.L., the commercial rights holder of the FIM Road Racing Grand Prix World Championship (MotoGP), have signed an agreement with the Motorcycle Circuit Racing Control Board to take over the commercial rights of the British Superbike Championship from 2004 to 2008. Carmelo Ezpeleta, the Chief Executive Officer of Dorna Sports, said "The British Superbike Championship is highly regarded as one of the best national motorcycle racing series in the world, and we are delighted to become the long term promoter to further enhance its profile and importance." On behalf of the governing body's Motorcycle Circuit Racing Control Board, Chairman Dennis Carter explained "The British Superbike Championship has reached its pinnacle in the UK since being created nine years ago and it is of prime importance for the MCRCB to see its long term future and stability guaranteed and broadened to a wider market. We firmly believe Dorna Sports can achieve this and are delighted to have made this agreement with the Grand Prix World Championship rights holders." Current 2003 British Superbike Champion Shane Byrne has graduated to this year's MotoGP series riding the factory Aprilia. Former British Superbike Champions Neil Hodgson (2000) and Troy Bayliss (1999) are also 2004 MotoGP factory riders. Since the inception of the British Superbike Championship in 1995, the Donington Park-based Two Four Sports company held the promotion rights until 1999 when the Octagon-based BMP company took over commercial operations until the end of the 2003 season.

This could just be a case of Dorna doing what they do, having no particular intentions beyond keeping a good thing keeping on, but that's not nearly as interesting to speculate about as the alternatives. It doesn't take too much of an imagination to dream up much grander plans that Dorna could be readying that would solidify their control over the global roadracing market.

To set the stage...

Dorna currently have the upper hand on old rivals FGSport with MotoGP thriving in a new, four-stroke-powered glory era and World Superbike fighting for its survival. But Superbikes are an inherently resilient class, attractive to the sportbike-buying public and marketing suits almost by definition. It can also happily coexist alongside Grand Prix racing, which means if Dorna truly wants to end the war once and for all, they'd best finish the job via a production-based series of their own.

Another problem currently facing Dorna is the fact that their feeder class system no longer makes sense. 250 two-strokes are not natural trainers for 240-horsepower, 990cc four-strokes. Not to mention (and perhaps in part, as a result) interest is quickly waning in the little GP bikes and the class has virtually disappeared at the national level.

Middleweight four-stroke prototypes might seem like a natural replacement until you consider the immense costs that would be involved in their development. And any hopes of a FIM-recognized World Championship MotoGP support class involving production-based machines (to help keep costs down) appeared to have been dashed last May when in a press conference speech regarding the state of world racing, FIM President Francesco Zerbi made it a point to include the statement, "...the FIM will not allow any confusion or antagonism to occur among the different Championships: the Road Racing Grand Prix will remain as it is and it will develop in the field of prototypes that have nothing to do with the motorcycles that derive from the production series (Superbike) and production motorcycles (Supersport)."

The acquisition of BSB now provides Dorna with a stone to potentially chuck at both of these two bothersome buzzards simultaneously.

Dorna could attempt to grow BSB into a major international championship by expanding its borders beyond the British Isles to include a handful of mainland European rounds -- say five new rounds (for example, Assen, Valencia, Le Mans, Mugello, and Sachsenring) to go along with around ten preexisting UK events.

In doing so, Dorna would immediately have a legitimate European Superbike championship that would be a powerful, direct competitor to the World Superbike Championship (which only leaves Europe for two rounds these days).

With Dorna's backing, coupled with FGSport's current icy relationship with the MSMA and tire manufacturers Michelin and Dunlop, it wouldn't be an upset to see the manufacturers heavily back the new Euro championship, part out of opportunity and part out of spite.

To further legitimize the series, the aforementioned mainland European rounds could -- at least initially -- be tucked into preexisting MotoGP weekends, with the Superbikes treated as the top undercard on the weekend slate, trailing only the premier MotoGP class in terms of importance during their guest appearances.

Such a move would guarantee massive crowds for the series' trips outside of the UK and lend it a good deal of quick street cred. It would also minimize the most difficult aspects of the transformation -- promotion and organization in the new markets.

This new international Superbike championship would almost certainly steal the allegiance of longtime World Superbike power base England from the start. And Japan, no longer hosting a World Superbike round of its own and without any official participation from the major Japanese manufacturers, wouldn't be too hard to sway in terms of interest, either.

Another traditional Superbike World Championship loyalist nation, the United States, is there for the taking as well. While its Laguna Seca ticket sales are largely insulated due to the successful AMA/WSC combined weekend, year-round American interest in World Superbikes is not. For the second consecutive year (and only the second year ever), the nation with the most series victories and championships is without representation in the championship.

If Dorna were to get their Superbike series a USA television deal (and regardless of any other plans, Dorna is expected to push hard for widespread television coverage of the series starting in '05), and help facilitate the placement of a popular American rider (or at least one of significant American/AMA interest) into a good seat in the new championship, the U.S. fans would likely jump onboard too.

A creative reimagining of the Transatlantic Trophy could very well seal the deal.

If all went to plan, Dorna would simultaneously steal the international Superbike market (and leave the FIM powerless to stop it by not seeking official 'World Championship' designation for the championship) and regain control over their feeder-class system in one fell swoop. They would also boost their undercard lineup at key European Gps and be well positioned to introduce a similar undercard in North America with AMA Superbikes worked onto the bill at the expected Barber Motorsports Park MotoGP round.

Then again, perhaps this is all just conspiracy-theory mumbo jumbo. We shall find out soon enough.