WSBK is looking east for its future. Today, Infront Motor Sports, the organization that runs the World Superbike series, announced that the Sentul International Circuit will host a WSBK round from 2013 onwards. The deal, backed by the Indonesian government, will see the series race in Indonesia for the next five years, as part of a push to promote the World Superbike series in the crucial markets of Southeast Asia.
The backing of the Indonesian government is crucial to the deal. Facilities at the Sentul circuit are a long way from being ready to stage an international race - see, for example, this blog entry by a local Indonesian fan - with complaints about water runoff, problems with the track surface, and the location of the circuit. But the sport is growing massively in Indonesia and other parts of Southeast Asia, with the standards of the local and regional series improving, and promotion being ramped up. Former Grand Prix racer Nobuatsu Aoki recently spent several days in Indonesia coaching riders from the Indoprix racing series, as part of Suzuki's promotional efforts in the region, and Yamaha factory riders Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies have both spent time in the country on promotional activities for the brand.
Ken Armstrong Reg Armstrong Arciso Artesiani Sandro Artusi Javier Arumi
No comments:
Post a Comment