After the cancellation of the Indian Grand Prix for 2014, the organisers at the Buddh International Circuit have decided not to host the inaugural World Superbike Championship (WSBK) in November this year.
The India round was originally scheduled to be held in March this year but later rescheduled for November 17 as the season-ending round. “Owing to operational challenges, Jaypee Sports International ltd (JPSI) and Dorna World SBK Organisation (DWO) have decided to cancel the 2013 WSBK Indian Round,” FIM — international body for motorcycle racing — said in a statement.
However, now it is not known when India-round would be held but tentatively 2015 has been marked for India’s debut in the championship. It has not been mentioned what the operational challenges are but going by the FIM release, it looks that marshalls were not adequately trained for the hosting of the event.
“JPSI, the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI) and the Indian Motorsport Marshals Club (IMMC) are working intensely together to make the Indian round as safe as possible in preparation for 2015. As a starting point, the BIC will play host to both the FMSCI 2-wheeler and 4-wheeler National Championship races from 13 to 14 September with fully trained IMMC Marshals officiating at the venue,” the release said.
Event oreganisers Jaypee group believe that with the Indian GP scheduled for Oct 25-27 this year, they would not get time to host the November event. “We feel the overall situation needs to be looked afresh. Bike racing is more accident prone than car racing and we felt we needed more preparation time, not just the marshal and medical staff training but other aspects too,” Jaypee Group spokesperson Askari said.
Meanwhile, the FMSCI president Vicky Chandhok said that India would soon play host to the superbikes. “JPSI confirms its interest in going ahead with the race in the future. We look forward to them concluding an arrangement with DWO in order to arrive at a mutually convenient date and to ensure that India has the privilege of hosting a round in the near future,” he said.