In the Supersport , motorcycles from around the world compete against one another, and various modifications are made to ensure they are on equal footing. The FIM officials had probably imagined the balance regulations would be simpler. This was partly because, for example, the Kawasaki Ninja 400 wasn’t available until shortly before the first World Championship race. The testing period for the World Championship technicians was very limited. There was no balance at the start of the World Championship season.
The IDM Supersport adheres as closely as possible to the FIM regulations. The goal is to enable young German riders to compete in the World Championship without significant effort, and conversely, to allow a World Championship rider to compete in the IDM without any problems. However, the imbalance among the motorcycles has hardly been noticeable so far, as only two Kawasaki Ninja 300s were entered alongside KTM, Honda, and Yamaha.
However, the FIM has now revised the regulations once again with new technical rules. According to IDM Technical Director Karsten Bartschat, this now ensures a relative balance between the manufacturers.
The changes made so far involve allowing for increased air intake on Honda and Yamaha bikes. This boosts performance. The RPM limits for all brands have been adjusted several times, as have the minimum weights. Everything should be up to the latest technical standards for the upcoming IDM round from July 6–8, 2018, in Zolder.