Past WorldSBK venue reportedly set to return in 2027
WorldSBK is reportedly set to add two new circuits to its 2027 calendar, including one returning venue.
WorldSBK’s calendar is reportedly set for a minor overhaul in 2027, with two new tracks coming in.
The current WorldSBK schedule is almost identical to what was run in 2025, only the dates have changed for Hungary and Cremona.
The former is set to depart the series in 2027, though, as is Jerez, which is set to undergo a rebuild of its pit complex as a requirement to keep hosting MotoGP.
This would reduce the 2027 calendar to 10 races: Phillip Island, Portimao, Assen, Most, Aragon, Misano, Donington, Magny-Cours, Cremona, and Estoril.
Contracts between WorldSBK and the broadcasters require a minimum of 12 rounds to be held, so two a minimum of two circuits will be added to the calendar next year to fulfil that requirement.
One of those places could be filled by the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, according to Speedweek, which last hosted WorldSBK in 2010 when Cal Crutchlow took pole position and the race wins were split between Leon Haslam and Noriyuki Haga.
Theoretically, Valencia – which has hosted the final round of MotoGP every season since 2002 with the exceptions of 2020 for Covid and 2024 for flooding – could directly replace Jerez in October, maintaining an Iberian back-to-back with Estoril.
A number of circuits have been linked with hosting a WorldSBK round in 2027 over the summer, including Sepang, which last held a round in 2016. However, Speedweek reports that negotiations with Sepang have not yielded a deal and WorldSBK will therefore not go there in 2027.
Barber Motorsports Park has also been floated as a possibility in 2027, but it is now China that is emerging as WorldSBK’s possibility to expand outside of Europe, where 11 of this year’s 12 rounds are located, and a round there would bring 2027's calendar back to the required 12 rounds.
The Shanghai International Circuit appears the most obvious candidate to host a round and is the only circuit in China that currently has the safety certification necessary to be able to be used by WorldSBK.
However, two alternative places have been suggested instead, Chengdu and Ningbo, as reported by Motosprint.
Neither are strangers to international sport; Chengdu has an ATP 250 tennis tournament, and Ningbo a WTA 500 tournament. But it is the 4.015km Ningbo International Circuit which is being reported as the favoured venue for WorldSBK at present.
A Chinese Round in 2026 would mark the first time a circuit racing world championship has visited China since the 2008 MotoGP race at Shanghai, and would come amid increasing Chinese interest in world championship motorcycle racing and in WorldSBK especially, where there are three manufacturers in the paddock at present: Kove, ZXMoto, and QJ Motor, with a CFMoto Superbike entry also in the works.
Alex joined the Crash.net team in August of 2024 having covered consumer and racing motorcycle news at Visordown for two years.
