World Superbike has a serious venue problem, as only two of its fourteen races are outside of Europe — a market with a significantly depressed sport bike market. With both WSBK and MotoGP fighting for venues in developing regions, it looks like World Superbike is first to score the lucrative Indian market.
Signing an agreement with Jaypee Sports International Ltd (JPSI), a subsidiary of the private Indian engineering and construction conglomerate Jaypee Group, the Buddh International Circuit (BIC) will host a round on the World Superbike Championship Calendar.
A four-year deal, WSBK will be in India starting with the 2013 season, and continuing on through 2016. The 2013 Indian round is currently schedule to take place on March 10th, which will be the first international motorcycle race to be held at the circuit, which resides outside of Delhi.
Already popular with Indian F1 fans, BIC was designed by acclaimed track designer Hermann Tilke. It is rumored that MotoGP is also looking to secure the Indian track as well, perhaps for the 2014 season and onward.
“The inclusion of the Indian round in the 2013 FIM Superbike World Championship calendar represents a great achievement for our series and reflects our continuous target to further extend its international presence,” said Paolo Flammini, CEO of Infront Motor Sports.
“India today is one of the most important motorcycle markets in the world, not only in terms of existing bike sales numbers but also growth and the upgrading of the range offered to the consumer. Undoubtedly the inclusion of this event will greatly benefit all the protagonists of our series and will create significant added value for the motorcycle manufacturers.”
Source: WSBK
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