2012 WSBK And WSS Entry Lists Released: Champion Checa To Keep #7

The FIM today issued provisional entry lists for both the World Superbike and World Supersport classes for 2012, and once again, both classes look relatively healthy. The WSBK grid has grown from 22 to 24 - perhaps a side effect of the introduction of the single-bike rule in the World Superbike class - while WSS sees 32 riders take to the grid again, similar numbers to last year.

The World Superbike class is broadly as expected, with one or two minor changes. Runner up in the 2011 WSS championship David Salom moves up to join champion Chaz Davies in World Superbikes, Salom joining the Pedercini Kawasaki squad alongsisde the Argentinian Leandro Mercado. Niccolo Canepa and Lorenzo Zanetti also join World Superbikes, while Raffaele de Rosa switches from a couple of relatively unsuccessful seasons in Moto2 to join the Pro Ride Honda team in WSBK.

But there is also one name missing from the World Superbike entry list: WSBK legend Noriyuki Haga has failed to secure a ride in the series for 2012, and is currently rumored to be looking at options in the British Superbike series. Haga has been a stalwart of the series since the mid-1990s, and a season without Haga is virtually unthinkable. The loss of Haga, together with the loss of Troy Corser, who retired at the end of the 2011 season, leaves a massive hole in the World Superbike series, as both men were hugely popular with the fans. WSBK's good fortune is that attention is shifting to a pack of younger riders including Johnny Rea, Eugene Laverty and Chaz Davies, and the three Brits (or rather, two Brits and an Irishman) have attracted a fanbase of their own.

Favorite to win it is reigning champion Carlos Checa, who will be spurning the #1 plate in favor of the #7 he has run throughout his career. Laverty and Rea are expected to challenge, with Marco Melandri and Leon Haslam also hotly tipped, if the factory BMW can sort out the electronics which have held them back since their entry into the series. Max Biaggi will also feature heavily, although the dynamic in the Aprilia garage between the veteran Biaggi - almost certainly in his last season of racing - and the rider of the future, Eugene Laverty, will be fascinating to watch.

The World Supersport field, though once again large, is also full of unknowns. With both Davies and Salom gone, Broc Parkes is one of the favorites for the crown, the Australian joining forces with Ten Kate for 2012. But Parkes faces a furious Kenan Sofuoglu, sworn to avenge his dismal season in Moto2 last year, and the combination of Sofuoglu and the Kawasaki should be a fascinating one. Then there is Sam Lowes, who impressed in his first season on the world stage, and should pose a serious threat for 2012. 

Notable absentees in World Supersport for 2012 are Luca Scassa, who partnered Chaz Davies in 2011 and challenged for the title for the first half of the season, and Florian Marino, the young Frenchman who rode for Ten Kate last year. But as the entry lists are still provisional, there could yet be a couple of shifts before the season kicks off in Phillip Island.

Below are the entry lists for the two classes

Entry list for the World Superbike class:

Entry list for the World Supersport class: