Until the end of 2018, each WorldSBK round featured two full-length races — Race 1 on Saturday and Race 2 on Sunday. For 2019 the championship adopted a three-race weekend, adding a shorter race to give fans more on-track action and to create additional sporting intrigue within a single round. The Superpole Race was the centerpiece of this change.
The format revision coincided with existing use of the "Superpole" label in WorldSBK. For years, Superpole had referred to the knockout qualifying session that determined grid positions. Under the new system, a single 25-minute Superpole qualifying session on Saturday sets the grids for both Race 1 and the Superpole Race itself, consolidating qualifying into one session rather than the previous multi-session knockout format.
The Superpole Race is ten laps in length, making it considerably shorter than the full-distance Race 1 and Race 2, which each cover between 90 and 110 kilometres. The race takes place on Sunday morning, after a 15-minute warm-up session, and precedes Race 2 later in the day.
The grid for the Superpole Race is set directly by Saturday's Superpole qualifying session results. The race itself awards full WorldSBK championship points to all finishers, meaning it contributes to both the riders' and manufacturers' standings on equal terms with the full-length races — except that the shorter distance and fewer laps create a more compressed, high-risk points opportunity.
The Superpole Race also carries a direct sporting consequence for Race 2. The top nine finishers in the Superpole Race take the first nine grid positions for Race 2 in the order they finished. Riders who finished tenth or lower in the Superpole Race, or who failed to finish, are positioned from tenth onward on the Race 2 grid according to their Superpole qualifying times.
This grid-inversion mechanic gives the Superpole Race a dual significance: it is simultaneously a points race and a qualifying heat. A rider who qualifies poorly on Saturday but performs well in the Superpole Race can recover a strong Race 2 grid slot, while a front-row qualifier who struggles in the sprint may find themselves disadvantaged for the day's main event.
The revised weekend layout from 2019 onward is structured as follows. On Friday, two free practice sessions of 50 minutes each are held. Saturday features a 30-minute third free practice session followed by the 25-minute Superpole qualifying session and then Race 1. On Sunday, the warm-up session is followed by the Superpole Race and then Race 2.
At some venues — notably Qatar — the schedule is shifted so that Race 1 runs on Friday evening rather than Saturday, accommodating the circuit's floodlit conditions and local broadcasting demands.
The Superpole Race was part of a broader effort to differentiate WorldSBK from MotoGP and to maximise racing action at each round. By creating three separate points-scoring events, the format increases the total points available per round and amplifies the championship swings that can occur within a single weekend.
The sprint nature of the race has produced some of its own tactical considerations. Tyre degradation over ten laps is less of a factor than in the full-length races, making outright pace and the ability to qualify at the front of the grid especially important. Overtaking within the race remains consequential given the grid-setting role for Race 2, which can incentivise aggressive riding from riders who start the Superpole Race outside the top nine.
Jonathan Rea won his fifth world title in the first year of the Superpole Race format, with 2019 also establishing the practical dynamics of the system before the COVID-shortened 2020 season followed.