Ever wondered how fast race bikes are compared to the production models? Well, today, we’re going to find out.
Honda just pitted the CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP against its Bennetts British Superbike Championship (BSB) counterpart.
You can watch the short video here.
“The Born to Race philosophy that has gone into the CBR1000RR-R Fireblade is clear to see. Under BSB series rules, we have to keep a lot of the standard parts for our British Superbike race machines, such as chassis and engine, and the production model makes such a good basis for a race bike because it’s been designed from the start for speed on the track already. To achieve the lap time that Glenn did on a standard bike on slick tires proves that, and is absolutely mind-blowing,” said Honda Racing UK Team Manager Havier Beltran.
It’s obvious that both the CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP and its BSB equivalent share a few things in common as the BSB entry was developed from the homologated production bike. Core components like chassis and engine are just some of the parts retained by the souped-up competition model.
To see just how much difference does aerodynamic upgrades, reduced weight, and “spec” ECU makes, Honda took out a standard CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP straight out of the showroom and armed it with just a set of the series’ control Pirelli Diablo Racing tires.
The production bike — still fitted with mirrors, standard toolkit, and all ancillaries straight from the showroom — drove a full lap at the Oulton Park Circuit in Little Budworth, Cheshire, England where it set a lap record of 1:39.054.
Riding the CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP is Honda Racing UK BSB star Glenn Irwin.
“From my experience today, it’s blown my mind to see what a bike straight out of the showroom can do around a track and just how fast I could go on the standard Fireblade SP. The two bikes are very, very similar. It doesn’t surprise me as I love this bike, but it’s incredible. It truly was ‘straight from the showroom’ too with no setup time as it even took me a couple of laps to adjust the levers to make them more comfortable for me – with more time to get used to the conditions I am certain I could have gone even faster,” said Irwin.
He also rode the BSB superbike version of the Fireblade SP and clocked it at 1:36.182, just 2.872 seconds faster than the production model.
It’s worth noting that both bikes were driven on the same day and in the same conditions around Oulton Park’s 2.69-mile (4.33km) International Circuit.
Honda Philippines is currently offering the CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP in Grand Prix Red. The locally offered Fireblade SP is powered by a 1,000cc liquid-cooled inline four-cylinder engine with features including Selectable Torque Control, Selectable Engine Brake, New ABS Brakes, Quickshifter, Riding Mode Select System, Power Selector, and Öhlins Smart-EC Suspension.
Photos from Honda
Also read:
Honda Fireblade dominates Donington Park
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