2004 Superbike World Championship Explained

The 2004 Superbike World Championship was the seventeenth FIM Superbike World Championship season. The season started on 29 February at Valencia and finished on 3 October at Magny-Cours after 11 rounds. The traditional Japanese round at Sugo was replaced with a new Canadian round which was scheduled for 4 July at the Mont-Tremblant, near Quebec. Though no explanation was given for the change, it was seen as some form of revenge after the refusal of the Japanese manufacturers to back the 2004 rules.^[1] The Canadian round was eventually canceled after a circuit inspection determined that the amount of work necessary to bring the venue up to WSBK standard could not be carried out in time for the proposed date.^[2]

2004 was the first season all bikes had to use control tyres, provided by Pirelli.^[3] Partly because of the control tyre rule, no factory bikes were entered by Japanese manufacturers.

James Toseland won the riders' championship and Ducati won the manufacturers' championship.

Race calendar and results

Round		Circuit	Date	Superpole	Fastest lap	Winning rider	Winning team	Report
1	R1	Valencia	29 February	Régis Laconi	Garry McCoy	James Toseland	Ducati Fila	Report
1	R2	Valencia	29 February	Régis Laconi	Noriyuki Haga	Noriyuki Haga	Renegade Ducati	Report
2	R1	Phillip Island	28 March	Régis Laconi	Régis Laconi	Régis Laconi	Ducati Fila	Report
2	R2	Phillip Island	28 March	Régis Laconi	Garry McCoy	Garry McCoy	XEROX - Ducati Nortel Net.	Report
3	R1	Misano	18 April	Steve Martin	Régis Laconi	Régis Laconi	Ducati Fila	Report
3	R2	Misano	18 April	Steve Martin	Pierfrancesco Chili	Pierfrancesco Chili	PSG - 1 Corse	Report
4	R1	Monza	16 May	Régis Laconi	Régis Laconi	Régis Laconi	Ducati Fila	Report
4	R2	Monza	16 May	Régis Laconi	Régis Laconi	Régis Laconi	Ducati Fila	Report
5	R1	Oschersleben	30 May	Troy Corser	Noriyuki Haga	Noriyuki Haga	Renegade Ducati	Report
5	R2	Oschersleben	30 May	Troy Corser	Noriyuki Haga	Régis Laconi	Ducati Fila	Report
6	R1	Silverstone	13 June	Régis Laconi	Régis Laconi	Noriyuki Haga	Renegade Ducati	Report
6	R2	Silverstone	13 June	Régis Laconi	Chris Vermeulen	Chris Vermeulen	Ten Kate Honda	Report
7	R1	Laguna Seca	11 July	Steve Martin	Chris Vermeulen	Chris Vermeulen	Ten Kate Honda	Report
7	R2	Laguna Seca	11 July	Steve Martin	Chris Vermeulen	Chris Vermeulen	Ten Kate Honda	Report
8	R1	Brands Hatch	1 August	Steve Martin	Pierfrancesco Chili	Noriyuki Haga	Renegade Ducati Koji	Report
8	R2	Brands Hatch	1 August	Steve Martin	Pierfrancesco Chili	Noriyuki Haga	Renegade Ducati Koji	Report
9	R1	Assen	5 September	Pierfrancesco Chili	Noriyuki Haga	James Toseland	Ducati Fila	Report
9	R2	Assen	5 September	Pierfrancesco Chili	Noriyuki Haga	Chris Vermeulen	Ten Kate Honda	Report
10	R1	Imola	26 September	Régis Laconi	Régis Laconi	Régis Laconi	Ducati Fila	Report
10	R2	Imola	26 September	Régis Laconi	Noriyuki Haga	Régis Laconi	Ducati Fila	Report
11	R1	Magny-Cours	3 October	Troy Corser	Steve Martin	James Toseland	Ducati Fila	Report
11	R2	Magny-Cours	3 October	Troy Corser	Noriyuki Haga	Noriyuki Haga	Renegade Ducati Koji	Report

Championship standings

Riders' standings

2004 final riders' standings^[4]
Pos.	Rider	Bike	ESP		AUS		SMR		ITA		GER		GBR		USA		GBR		NED		ITA		FRA		Pts
R1	R2	R1	R2	R1	R2	R1	R2	R1	R2	R1	R2	R1	R2	R1	R2	R1	R2	R1	R2	R1	R2
1	Toseland	Ducati	1	2	3	Ret	10	6	2	2	2	2	Ret	5	4	2	7	Ret	1	2	3	2	1	2	336
2	Laconi	Ducati	Ret	Ret	1	Ret	1	2	1	1	6	1	*Ret*	3	5	3	2	Ret	3	5	1	1	3	3	327
3	Haga	Ducati	Ret	1	8	6	4	4	Ret	Ret	1	Ret	1	2	6	4	1	1	4	3	4	Ret	2	1	299
4	Vermeulen	Honda	12	5	2	2	5	12	4	DSQ	15	8	2	1	1	1	4	3	5	1	2	6	Ret	Ret	282
5	Chili	Ducati	2	4	9	3	3	1	Ret	Ret	3	Ret	3	Ret	2	5	Ret	2	2	4	7	Ret	6	5	243
6	McCoy	Ducati	7	6	5	1	Ret	17	3	3	9	4	4	8	7	7	Ret	7	8	Ret	5	5	9	9	199
7	Martin	Ducati	Ret	3	4	Ret	7	3	Ret	8	5	Ret	6	6	3	6	3	Ret	7	Ret	6	3	5	Ret	181
8	Haslam	Ducati	5	9	Ret	10	11	5	5	4	7	3	5	4	9	Ret	Ret	Ret	6	6	10	12	7	6	169
9	Corser	Petronas	Ret	11	13	5	2	7	9	5	4	Ret	7	9	10	Ret	5	Ret	10	7	12	10	Ret	7	146
10	Borciani	Ducati	4	8	7	4	21	10	7	6	Ret	Ret	8	11	11	8	11	Ret	9	8	8	8	Ret	Ret	130
11	Walker	Petronas	3	7	10	8	6	13	8	7	Ret	7	Ret	12	Ret	Ret	9	4	12	10	Ret	16	8	8	128
12	Clementi	Kawasaki	Ret	14	11	9	12	Ret	11	10	11	9	10	10	Ret	10	14	11	Ret	9	11	9	Ret	Ret	85
13	Sanchini	Kawasaki	14	10	6	7	Ret	11	Ret	9	10	6	Ret	13	8	9	Ret	10	Ret	DNS	WD	WD			79
14	Nannelli	Ducati	6	Ret	12	12	8	Ret	Ret	Ret	12	5	Ret	Ret	Ret	Ret	10	Ret	11	Ret	9	4	Ret	Ret	72
15	Bontempi	Suzuki	15	16	NC	11	9	15	10	11	14	11	9	14	13	12	15	12	13	12	13	Ret	11	Ret	68
16	Pedercini	Ducati	Ret	13	Ret	Ret	Ret	8	Ret	12	Ret	Ret	Ret	15	12	11	13	Ret	Ret	DNS	Ret	7	12	DNS	41
17	Fuertes	Suzuki	8	12	Ret	Ret	Ret	18	6	Ret	DNS	DNS	13	Ret			Ret	13	15	14	Ret	Ret	Ret	12	35
18	Gimbert	Yamaha															Ret	9					4	4	33
19	Ellison	Yamaha											Ret	7			6	5							30
20	Nowland	Suzuki	11	17	15	14	18	Ret	DNS	DNS	DNS	DNS	11	Ret	Ret	13	16	Ret	14	13	17	18	16	10	27
21	Bussei	Ducati															12	6	Ret	11	Ret	11	Ret	DNS	24
22	Velini	Yamaha	Ret	18	14	13	13	Ret	Ret	13	16	12	Ret	Ret	Ret	Ret	17	14	Ret	Ret					20
22	Ducati																			Ret	15	14	Ret		20
23	Saiger	Yamaha	9	15					13	14					14	14									17
24	Coxhell	Honda															8	8							16
25	Mrkývka	Ducati	10	Ret	DNS	DNS	19	16	Ret	Ret	Ret	13	12	16	Ret	Ret	Ret	DNS	Ret	Ret	19	19	Ret	Ret	13
26	Pini	Suzuki					Ret	9													14	13			12
27	Duterne	Kawasaki																			Ret	24	10	11	11
28	Meklau	Suzuki									13	10													9
29		Honda									8	Ret													8
30	Praia	Ducati	13	19	16	Ret	DNQ	DNQ	Ret	Ret	17	Ret	14	Ret	DNS	Ret	Ret	15	Ret	16	Ret	21	18	14	8
31	De Matteis	Ducati					16	Ret	12	Ret							Ret	Ret			21	DNS			4
32	Szkopek	Suzuki																			Ret	23	15	13	4
33	Sala	Suzuki					14	20	14	Ret															4
34	Cruciani	Kawasaki																					13	Ret	3
35	Romboni	Yamaha					DNS	DNS													15	14			3
36	Liverani	Ducati					15	14																	3
37	Berthelsen	Suzuki									18	14											19	Ret	2
38	Camlek	Yamaha					20	Ret															17	15	1
39	Menzen	Suzuki																	16	15					1
Pos.	Rider	Bike	ESP		AUS		SMR		ITA		GER		GBR		USA		GBR		NED		ITA		FRA		Pts

Bold – Pole position
Italics – Fastest lap

Manufacturers' standings

Pos.	Manufacturer	ESP		AUS		SMR		ITA		GER		GBR		USA		GBR		NED		ITA		FRA		Pts
R1	R2	R1	R2	R1	R2	R1	R2	R1	R2	R1	R2	R1	R2	R1	R2	R1	R2	R1	R2	R1	R2
1	Ducati	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	2	2	2	1	1	1	2	1	1	1	1	530
2	Honda	12	5	2	2	5	12	4	Ret	8	8	2	1	1	1	4	3	5	1	2	6	Ret	Ret	289
3	Petronas	3	7	10	5	2	7	8	5	4	7	7	9	10	Ret	5	4	10	7	12	10	8	7	200
4	Kawasaki	14	10	6	7	12	11	11	9	10	6	10	10	8	9	14	10	Ret	9	11	9	10	11	129
5	Suzuki	8	12	15	11	9	9	6	11	13	10	9	14	13	12	15	12	13	12	13	13	11	10	101
6	Yamaha	9	15	14	13	13	Ret	13	13	16	12	Ret	7	14	14	6	5	Ret	Ret	15	14	4	4	89
NC	MV Agusta																			16	17			0
Pos.	Manufacturer	ESP		AUS		SMR		ITA		GER		GBR		USA		GBR		NED		ITA		FRA		Pts

Entry list

2004 entry list^[5]
Team	Constructor	Motorcycle		Rider	Rounds
Foggy Petronas Racing	Petronas	Petronas FP1	4	Troy Corser	All
Foggy Petronas Racing	Petronas	Petronas FP1	9	Chris Walker	All
Zongshen	Suzuki	Suzuki GSX-R1000	5	Piergiorgio Bontempi	All
	Suzuki	Suzuki GSX-R1000	12	Warwick Nowland	All
	Kawasaki	Kawasaki ZX 10	39	Stéphane Duterne	10–11
Kawasaki Bertocchi	Kawasaki	Kawasaki ZX 10	6	Mauro Sanchini	1–10
			8	Ivan Clementi	All
			15	Stefano Cruciani	11
PSG - 1 Corse	Ducati	Ducati 998 RS Ducati 999 RS	7	Pierfrancesco Chili	All
PSG - 1 Corse	Ducati	Ducati 998 RS Ducati 999 RS	27	Giancarlo De Matteis	8, 10
Carbon Dream	Ducati	Ducati 998 RS	11	Gianmaria Liverani	3
MIR Racing	Suzuki	Suzuki GSX-R1000	16	Sergio Fuertes	1–6, 8–11
Ten Kate Honda	Honda	Honda CBR1000RR	17	Chris Vermeulen	All
Pedercini	Ducati	Ducati 998 RS	19	Lucio Pedercini	All
			25	Alessio Velini	10–11
			69	Gianluca Nannelli	1–9
D.F.Xtreme Sterilgarda	Ducati	Ducati 999 RS	20	Marco Borciani	All
D.F.Xtreme Sterilgarda	Ducati	Ducati 999 RS	99	Steve Martin	All
Life Haus RT	Yamaha	Yamaha YZF-R1	22	Horst Saiger	1, 4, 7
JM SBK	Ducati	Ducati 998 RS	23	Jiří Mrkývka	All
XEROX – Ducati Nortel Net.	Ducati	Ducati 999 RS	24	Garry McCoy	All
			27	Giancarlo De Matteis	3–4
			48	David García	5–6
			50	Miguel Praia	All
			69	Gianluca Nannelli	10–11
UnionBike GiMotorsport	Yamaha	Yamaha YZF-R1	25	Alessio Velini	1–9
			78	Teodor Myszkowski	11
			113	Paolo Blora	10
Giesse Racing Team	Yamaha	Yamaha YZF-R1	28	Doriano Romboni	3, 10
Boselli Racing	Suzuki	Suzuki GSX-R1000	29	Luca Pini	3, 10
Penta Race	Ducati	Ducati 998 RS	31	Giuseppe Zannini	3, 10
Yamaha France	Yamaha	Yamaha YZF-R1	32	Sébastien Gimbert	8, 11
Suzuki Netthandelen Suzuki Nederland	Suzuki	Suzuki GSX-R1000	33	Carl Berthelsen	5, 11
Yoshimura Schäfer Motorsport	Suzuki	Suzuki GSX-R1000	34	Andreas Meklau	5
Vitrans Honda	Honda	Honda	35	Craig Coxhell	8
Robert Menzen Racing	Suzuki	Suzuki GSX-R1000	36	Robert Menzen	9
Pajic-Kawasaki	Kawasaki	Kawasaki ZX 10	38	Arno Visscher	9
Renegade Ducati Renegade Ducati Koji	Ducati	Ducati 999 RS	41	Noriyuki Haga	All
Renegade Ducati Renegade Ducati Koji	Ducati	Ducati 999 RS	91	Leon Haslam	All
Team Anyway Fidoweb	Suzuki	Suzuki GSX-R1000	45	Ivan Sala	3–4
Ducati Fila	Ducati	Ducati 999 F04	52	James Toseland	All
Ducati Fila	Ducati	Ducati 999 F04	55	Régis Laconi	All
Alpha Technik	Honda	Honda CBR1000RR	71	Michael Schulten	5
Alpha Technik	Honda	Honda CBR1000RR	72	Jürgen Oelschläger	5
Mazzali Racing Team	MV Agusta	MV Agusta	74	Andrea Mazzali	10
Inoterm Racing Team	Yamaha	Yamaha YZF-R1	77	Berto Camlek	3, 11
Szkopek Agip RT	Suzuki	Suzuki GSX-R1000	94	Paweł Szkopek	10–11
Yamaha Castrol Poland	Yamaha	Yamaha YZF-R1	95	Andrzej Pawelec	11
Jentin Racing	Yamaha	Yamaha YZF-R1	100	James Ellison	6, 8
Guandalini	Ducati	Ducati 999 RS	113	Paolo Blora	4
DeCecco Racing	Ducati	Ducati 998 RS	200	Giovanni Bussei	8–11

Key
Regular rider
Wildcard rider
Replacement rider

All entries used Pirelli tyres.

Notes and References

https://archive.today/20121220003431/http://www.crash.net/news_View~cid~5~id~79872.htm Japan out, Canada in for 2004.
https://archive.today/20121220055500/http://www.crash.net/news_view~cid~5~id~82115.htm Mont Tremblant axed from 2004 schedule.
News: WSC In Turmoil With New Rules Package. Motorcycle-USA.com. 2012-08-01. 2003-07-18. https://web.archive.org/web/20150106104123/http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/464/13599/Motorcycle-Article/WSC-In-Turmoil-With-New-Rules-Package.aspx. 2015-01-06. dead.
Web site: Magny Cours 1–2–3 October, 2004 – Superbike – Championship Standings & Ranking Progression. resources.worldsbk.com. Dorna WSBK. 3 October 2004. 22 June 2016.
Web site: World Superbike entry list for 2004. f1network.net. 20 November 2005. 24 November 2016.