• A German magazine reported that the all-new 2020 Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade will debut in October 2019.

• The date puts it at the Tokyo Motor Show, instead of EICMA.

• The new bike may prove to be the world-beater in WorldSBK.

A German magazine reported that the all-new 2020 Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade will debut in October 2019.

If what Speedweek magazinesaid was true, the bike will be introduced at the Tokyo Motor Show instead of at EICMA in November.

Lending credibility to the rumour is rider Alvaro Bautista purportedly signing a two-year deal to ride for the HRC factory team in WorldSBK from 2020. There was “news” that the bike he will ride is the all-new CBR1000RR.

The Honda CBR1000RR is the best-handling and easiest to ride superbike we’ve tested thus far but the current model is lacking in top-end horsepower, at least on paper, anyway. However, superbike buyers are always looking at the specs sheets and the CBR’s 189 hp “isn’t enough” when compared to its peers.

As such, the new ‘Blade may have the most powerful naturally-aspirated roadgoing inline-Four.

It may also feature the “active aerodynamics” shown in a patent filing. The system features ECU-controlled winglets in addition to “aerobodies” seen in MotoGP.

The news should bode well for the WorldSBK team, as well. The riders are at the deep end of the field, finding themselves outgunned and unable to mount any serious challenge to the top runners.

Honda and CBR1000RR Fireblade fans will likely rejoice at the news too.