The 2024 World Superbike Championship season was packed with excitement and on-track challenges, but it was also marked by a significant number of crashes. With 12 rounds completed, it’s time to analyze who topped this unwanted table and which were the most difficult circuits and corners of the year.
Crashes in WorldSBK: Bautista and Sam Lowes at the top of the table
In the premier class, Álvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and rookie Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) were the riders with the most crashes in 2024, accumulating 17 each. Both surpassed the trio of Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) and Tarran Mackenzie (PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda) by seven crashes, who each recorded 10 falls. At the other end of the table, world champion Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) crashed only twice throughout the season, once again standing out for his consistency, as he had done in 2023.
WorldSSP: Tom Edwards leads the number of crashes
In the Supersport class, it was Tom Edwards (D34G Racing WorldSSP Team) who had the most crashes, with a total of 14 throughout the year. Close behind were Bahattin Sofuoglu and Tom Booth-Amos (PTR Triumph), both with 13 crashes, while Luke Power (Motozoo ME AIR Racing) rounded out the top 3 with 12 crashes. The most consistent rider among the regular participants was Simone Corsi (Renzi Corse), who crashed only twice.
WorldSSP300: Calatayud with the most crashes in the class
In the World Supersport 300, Unai Calatayud (ARCO SASH MotoR University Team) stood out for the worst reasons, being the only rider to reach the 10-crash mark. Emiliano Ercolani (Yamaha Motoxracing WorldSSP300 Team) was second with eight crashes, followed by a group of six riders with six crashes, including race winners David Salvador and Mirko Gennai (MTM Kawasaki). The most consistent rider in this category was Petr Svoboda (Fusport-RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki), with only one crash recorded in 2024.
WorldWCR: Dobbs leads the crashes in the championship’s debut
The new WorldWCR class had a rocky start for some riders. Mallory Dobbs (Sekhmet Motorcycle Racing Team) recorded the most crashes, with nine throughout the season. She was followed by Jessica Howden (Team Trasimeno), with six crashes, and Emily Bondi (YART Zelos Black Knights Team), with five. The inaugural class champion, Ana Carrasco (Evan Bros Racing Yamaha Team), finished the year without a single crash.
The most demanding circuits and corners of 2024
Among the most challenging circuits, Misano stood out with 81 crashes over the weekend, followed closely by Magny-Cours, which recorded 71 due to wet conditions. Jerez occupied the third position with 70 crashes. As for corners, the most problematic was Turn 6 at Jerez, a tight downhill braking zone, which saw 21 crashes throughout the year. Turn 13 at Magny-Cours and Turn 10 at Cremona completed the podium of the most treacherous corners, with 20 and 18 crashes, respectively.
Summary of the number of crashes in 2024 (WorldSBK)
- 17 crashes: Álvaro Bautista, Sam Lowes
- 10 crashes: Alex Lowes, Andrea Locatelli, Tarran Mackenzie
- 8 crashes: Andrea Iannone, Michael van der Mark, Jonathan Rea
- 2 crashes: Toprak Razgatlioglu
With a total of 652 crashes recorded in the four categories in 2024, this was a demanding year for riders and teams, reaffirming the importance of consistency and risk management to achieve success.
