5 ways to Make WSBK Great… AGAIN

4.) New TRACKS please…

World Superbikes was pioneering once, heading to some of the most incredible locations across the world. In 1998, the series actually made a first, by becoming the first major sporting event to take place in South Africa since Nelson Mandela came to power in post-apartheid South Africa. Kyalami was the venue and even as recently as 2013, when the series visited Russia, Turkey and returned to USA, WSBK has been going to some fairly interesting destinations.

But that all seems to have gone of late, yes we are heading to Argentina and allegedly Northern Ireland too, but since Buriram came on the calendar in 2015, very little has happened to expose new destinations. Sepang was removed, which was a bad move and India never really came to fruition. Turkey’s security situation, whilst much better, is still a bit tender for a WSBK meeting.

So, where to go and where to end? For me, it is easy. Lose Losail and end the season in a country which would actually have a biking culture to it, where the fans are passionate. Let’s change the Spanish round, from Aragón which is, to me, the most un-fan-friendly course and head to Valencia’s Ricardo Tormo Circuit. Yes, Aragón is a good circuit but it is continuously one of the most poorly attended trackside races on the calendar.

Now we have gone out with the old, it is time to go in with the new. To make people go to Brno, you’ve got to go somewhere else in Central Europe and sell it as more of a tour between two sporting events – both within a week of each other. Somewhere like the Hungaroring is just 350km from Brno and cheap enough to get to. A few tweaks to the circuit and that’d be fit for purpose for WSBK.

You have to start looking at new markets outside of Europe too, such as the Far East. Indonesia is crying out for WSBK and what better way to build up to MotoGP than to have a WSBK event their first? After all, the Buriram blueprint seems to have worked just fine. Some investment in Vietnam could see a round there if a circuit was built and then go to Japan, because most manufacturers are from there. Suzuka would be a bit risky but you could probably hold your breath and have a round, but Motegi would be the obvious choice for a race, or Sugo if some development occurred.