EXCLUSIVE: Supersport rules “unfair” on 600cc bikes - Jack Kennedy

Jack Kennedy has returned to the British Supersport Championship in 2024 and immediately slotted back into championship contention, despite riding a 600cc Honda that he says is disadvantaged by the championship’s current ruleset.

When Kennedy last raced in British Supersport — in 2022 — it was the last year of the previous ruleset, with all eligible bikes fitting into the ‘600cc’ class.

The championship has changed since then, with larger-displacement bikes — as large as 955cc — now being allowed to compete in the category under the ‘Supersport Next Generation’ rules that were introduced in 2023.

Asked by Crash.net on Friday at the recent Donington BSB whether the balancing rules used to make the 600cc bikes competitive against the larger-displacement ‘Next Generation’ bikes are working well, Kennedy was simple in his response.

“No,” he laughed.

“Of course I’m going to say that life is hard for the 600 riders; and, yes, they can only cap the bigger-displacement bikes so much.

“But I do think it could be balanced a little bit more fairly, or my bike and my team should have more of an open playing field to, in a way, do whatever they want with it.

“But they’re not allowed to do whatever they want with it. I feel that’s a little bit unfair when you see our dyno’ figures compared to the bigger-displacement bikes’ dyno’ figures.

“There’s quite a gap, so I don’t see why we’re not allowed to explore every avenue, nearly, until we get to where they are.

“So, I think that’s a little bit unfair at the minute, because we’re still quite a way behind the [Yamaha] R6 in terms of power.

“So, again you could say we’re on the lower scale of power compared to everybody, so I can’t see why we aren’t allowed an open playing field to get us to where we need to be.

“But I suppose that’s because we’re doing well, and we’re at the front.”

Kennedy entered the Donington Park round of this year’s British Supersport Championship level on points with Triumph rider Luke Stapleford, but after a DNF for Stapleford in the first race the Honda rider is now 20 points clear ahead of this weekend’s Brands Hatch finale.

If Kennedy is able to be competitive with bikes that are faster than his in the straights, he must be making up time in the corners.

“Everyone says my bike is so fast in the corners,” Kennedy said, “but you don’t think I have to ride it?

“I’m pushing the limits, I’m getting the most out of it. It doesn’t ride itself around the corners.”

An exciting title fight

The 2024 British Supersport Championship has seen four-times champion Kennedy go up against 2015 champion Luke Stapleford and 2023 champion Ben Currie in a three-way battle for this year’s crown.

It’s been a close fight between all three of them, and although Kennedy heads to this weekend’s Brands Hatch finale 21 points clear, he was level with Stapleford going into the Donington Park round two weeks ago.

“It always keeps the excitement high when you’ve got good battles and people enjoy watching it,” Kennedy said.

“It’s good to be a part of a close, tight championship. It can always be enjoyable when you’re racing at the front for wins, and they sort of mean that bit more when as well when you do get those wins — when it’s so close and so hard to win, and racing against the bigger-displacement bikes.”

The unpredictability of the season is a part of what Kennedy calls “the beauty of racing”, and that is highlighted entering the final races.

“I don’t think anybody knows [how the last races will go],” Kennedy said. “That’s racing, that’s the beauty of racing, I suppose. That’s why it’s so good to watch, because nobody knows.

“I can’t tell you which way it’s going to go, I don’t think any of my competitors could tell you, either.

“Obviously, it will have a lot to do with weather, what way the races pan out; who’s fast at what track and what bike’s better at this track and the last round. I can’t tell you, I honestly can’t tell you.

“All I know is I’m going to be focused on myself, doing the best job I can, and I know how to win championships because I’ve won four of them already in this class. So, I know what I’ve got to do, we just have to see how everything else pans out.”

Such is the closeness of the 2024 title battle, it has evoked memories of some of the championship’s most thrilling conclusions, such as that between Alastair Seeley and Ben Wilson in 2011 which was decided in the final race of the season, or even the 2012 finale which saw Kennedy lose out to Glen Richards when he suffered a mechanical in the last race of the year.

Although this is clearly entertaining for those watching from the outside, Kennedy admitted that the pressure for those directly involved is perhaps unwanted.

“It’s extra pressure on you, when you’re in the moment it’s probably not what you want,” he said. You’d obviously like it to be done before [the final round].

“But for the excitement and the interest in the class, and in the race, it’s fantastic because it gets so many people watching it and interested, and talking about it.

“That’s always a good thing; for [the rider], the team, and everyone involved.”

A tight championship battle is inevitably made even more intense and unpredictable in the British Championship thanks to the season ending in October and the inclement weather that often brings.

“Nobody can plan for the weather,” Kennedy said. “You never know what it’s going to do. Game plans and strategies sort of go out the window and you have to just sort of adapt to what you’re given.

“But I feel I’m quite good at that, adapting to any situation, or any problem if there is one.

“I feel confident in any condition — soaking wet, half-wet-half-dry, or baking hot, so I feel quite confident no matter what the weather. I feel ready no matter what happens, and I know my team will as well with the resources and equipment that they have.

“It’s a factory team, so there’s no corners cut, no expense spared, and everything is there that I need. So, I feel confident going into these last two rounds no matter what happens.”

Developing a 600cc to beat the Next Generation

While Kennedy’s prowess in the Supersport class is beyond doubt by now, with already four British Championships to his name in the category, a part of his success in 2024 has been the development of the Honda CBR600RR throughout the year.

Kennedy, who in his three title-winning Supersport campaigns on the Yamaha R6 had proven almost unbeatable, had begun the year with no wins from the first six races, and was unable to even climb onto the podium at the Donington Park round in May when WorldSSP regulars Tom Booth-Amos and Can Oncu turned up.

But, in the eight races from round four at Knockhill to round seven at Thruxton, Kennedy won on six occasions.

By now, Kennedy’s tally of eight wins makes him the most victorious rider of 2024, compared to Stapleford’s six and Currie’s two, indicating the steps forward both Kennedy and the Honda Racing UK team have made with the CBR600RR compared to the start of the year.

Compared to the higher-displacement machines, such as the 765cc Triumph Street Triple 765 RS ridden by Stapleford or the 955cc Ducati Panigale V2 ridden by Currie, the Honda CBR600RR has lower base performance to start from when turning it into a race machine.

Whereas the stock CBR600RR has a maximum power output of 119bhp, the Street Triple is good for 128bhp out the box, and the standard Panigale V2’s maximum power output is 155bhp.

“Me and the team have really made progress,” Kennedy said. “We were struggling at the start of the year for speed, but the team have improved the engine performance and saved some weight on the bike.

“The bike’s got lighter and the engine’s got faster, so it’s made my life a bit easier, but there’s still some areas where I don’t think a 600cc will ever match the bigger-displacement bikes — for torque off of slow corners. That’s something we have to live with and try to ride around.

“I’ve sort of accepted that, in a way. Of course, it would be nice to get some more power out of the CBR600RR, but we’re working with what we’ve got now, we’re sort of maxed out.”

Kennedy added that the developments brought to the CBR600RR haven’t arrived all at once, but gradually throughout the season.

“It’s sort of been little bits throughout the year,” he said. “HRC are heavily involved which is great to know, it’s a nice peace of mind for me to know that the development is still going forward and strong for the 600.

“It’s always nice know that you’ve got this new part, or you’ve saved a bit of weight here, or you’ve improved performance here, or improved suspension parts as well.

“So, there’s always stuff coming for the bike, which is really exciting and promising.

“[It’s] nice peace of mind for me, when I’m training at home, at least I know the project isn’t standing still. When you’re trying to stay as light as possible to make the difference against the bigger bikes, as well.

“It’s 110 per cent effort from everyone involved, me and the team.”

The support from HRC has been both above and below Kennedy’s expectations, but he labelled it as “amazing” overall.

“It’s [the HRC support] slightly more in some areas and slightly less in others,” he explained.

“Everybody would love more speed, but you can’t click your fingers and find some horsepower.

“There’s been developments in other areas which have kind of helped the overall package.

“The level of support has been amazing from HRC and the fact that we’re doing well and we’re at the front obviously makes them more interested as well. It’s going really well.”