BSB at Navarra: A great place for a race

In September 2022, MSV announced the purchase of the Spanish track, Circuito de Navarra. The track was originally opened in 2010 and has previously hosted the World SBK Championship in 2021. With the new owners MSV also being the owners of the British Superbikes Championship, could we see BSB heading to Spain, and what would the advantages be?

The circuit officially became a part of the MSV group as of the first of November and is due to be resurfaced by MSV soon. It is a short flight from London of around two hours creating easy access for fans to come across. Teams would also be able to make the relatively short trip via a ferry crossing with the nearest port being around a two-hour drive from the circuit.

Previously BSB has had an away round at the TT Circuit Assen that was last held in 2019, the race was well attended but due to COVID they never returned. If BSB were to go to the Circuito de Navarra they would be heading to a new market for the championship that is already known for bike racing. This would be a fantastic opportunity to expand the viewership of the series and grow the overall viewership for Superbike championships in Spain.

The possible addition of the circuit would be a massive shake-up to the BSB calendar with another Grand Prix-style venue on the calendar as the circuit holds a grade 2 license allowing it to hold such events as World championship-level racing and even F1 testing. The track’s main layout is around 2.4-miles which alternatively has a smaller 1.6-mile layout.

The circuit would also allow BSB to start earlier in the year without having to worry about the weather etc. Currently, the season starts in April while the addition to this circuit would mean that could start the season in March or finish later in October without as much worry regarding temperatures and lighting.

Navarra has already held Superbike races as it has previously hosted the Spanish ESBK championship and most notable, in 2021 the World SBK made their one and only visit to the circuit, World SBK shown us that the circuit can create great and unpredictable racing as during the weekend there three manufacturers on the podium in all three races.

A cost that would be hugely reduced is for renting the circuit since MSV already owns the circuit. This means that it would mean that they would not have to pay as much to run the event, compared to the costs of running the BSB race at Assen allowing the event to be far more financially viable compared to other tracks.

Although it is clear that it would not be on the calendar anytime soon as the 2023 BSB calendar has already been released, but if they were to add the addition it would be a great step in the worldwide expansion of BSB and one which many would greet with open arms, would you like to see Navarra added on to the calendar in the future?

Watch SBK World Championship highlights from Circuit de Navarro – https://youtu.be/0wRL6kmLAwA

Watch Scott Redding ride around Circuit de Navarro – https://youtu.be/3RJTKWY3RRc

Have a look around on google maps – https://goo.gl/maps/E7W4gXVfR5q23ngF9