Is WorldSBK finally considering more races outside of Europe?

It appears as though the WorldSBK championship might be considering more race venues outside of Europe, with Malaysia, China, and the US all mentioned as part of a report from Speedweek.

WorldSBK has not raced in Asia since 2023 when the Indonesian round at Mandalika was part of the calendar. However, it’s been considerably longer since the series raced in the United States, with the last American round held in 2019 at the famous Laguna Seca raceway in California. 

But according to the report, pressure is mounting on WorldSBK’s owners, Liberty Media, to make a return to Asia. This is partially down to the growing number of Chinese manufacturers currently competing in the Superbike paddock. 

Kove is the sole Chinese brand currently racing in the new Sportbike World Championship with the 450RR, while QJMotor and ZXMoto both compete in the Supersport World Championship. 

A fourth Chinese company could soon be added to that list, as CFMoto is expected to produce a WorldSBK project in the future. 

The report mentions the Ningbo International Circuit as the most likely venue for a race in China, however, it appears that a return to Asia is most likely to happen at the Sepang International Circuit.

That does not rule out China from potentially having a WorldSBK race in the future, but it might just mean that it has to wait a little while longer.

The Sepang circuit is a perennial fixture on the MotoGP calendar already, and formerly hosted the WorldSBK championship from 2014 to 2016. 

Additionally, it’s also claimed that manufacturers are in favour of racing in the US, with talks having already taken place with organisers of the Barber Motorsport Park in Birmingham, Alabama.

WorldSBK currently races at Phillip Island, Australia, but beyond that the remainder of its 12-round schedule is made up of races across Europe, including the UK round at Donington Park.

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