NORTH Yorkshire's sidecar racing superstar Steve Webster faces his most exciting season for years with the confirmation at last that the Sidecar World Championship is moving lock, stock and barrel into the World Superbike Championship fold.

That means a full calendar of 12 rounds, including South Africa and Australia and two rounds in this country.

Webster has also signed up for the German Steinhausen Olympia Racing Team and will use 1200cc Suzuki engines - the first time in his 19-year career he has raced with a four-stroke engine.

Webster, who is delighted with the whole deal, said: "The sidecars have been treated very badly over the past few years and last year we reached low point with only six races. We all knew that if it didn't get better than sidecar racing would be finished."All winter I've been going to meetings and German millionaire businessman Bernt Steinhausen has been talking to the Flammini Organisation who run the World Superbike Championship.

"The result is we will be going to 12 rounds with the Superbikes. It's the best possible thing to happen to the sidecars and it guarantees a travel fund, a prize fund and a bit of respect.

"We'll get proper practice, warm-up laps, and the top four teams will be back in the main paddock at each race instead of being banished to the outlying car parks as happened last year.

"We're back in the main show again and all of the races will be shown on the telly. I've dreamed about this and now it's all finally coming together."The last few years have seen the World Superbike increase in importance to the extent that most commentators see it only as a question of when, not if, it takes over from the traditional Grand Prix class as the premier series.

The Superbike class has tight engine regulations that determine the power units must be road bike based, thus reducing the factory development costs.

The sidecars will also follow this rule, although it has been recognised for this year that the costs for sidecar teams to change over from their highly strung 500cc two strokes to new four-stroke engines would be prohibitive.

This year there is the fascinating prospect of two-strokes versus four-strokes, with Webster, king of them all, racing "diesel" for the first time.

Webster said: "Although winning the championship last year wasn't easy we were pretty confident that we could win if the bike was okay.

"I could have stayed with the same team for this year and know we were fastest to start with. I needed a new challenge. I know it will be harder this year but the racing will be closer and it will be better for the fans.

"More teams will be in with a chance of winning, which is better for the sport.

"I could've taken a selfish view and beaten them all again with last year's bike and engines, but that would be the easy way out.

"Four-strokes are the way of the future and I want to get into it as soon as possible. I can't wait to get started. I've never been to South Africa or Australia before.

"It's also much wider exposure for the series which will, in turn bring more sponsors in, and the whole thing will be professionally run by a proper organisation with full-time staff.

"Racing with the Superbikes will mean big crowds everywhere. The main contracts are signed and we meet with Flammini on January 25 to seal the final details on the deal."

The new set-up means that four teams including Webster's will be deemed or seeded as Top Teams and will be involved in the Superpole qualifying that has been a feature in Superbikes.

The new bike Webster and passenger David James will be racing is an LCR Suzuki identical to the bike that Jurg Steinhausen won the European title last year.

"The new bike looks the same from the outside but will be heavier than the old ADM engine," said Webster.

"However, the big four-stroke engines have masses of bottom end power and will be really quick out of corners and off the line."The big Suzuki is also a tried and tested engine, used a lot by drag racers for years. It'll be very quick."

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