WorldSBK’s 2027 “big change” predicted to “bring a lot of positives”

WorldSBK will head to China in 2027 in a move that is expected to “bring a lot of positives” to the championship, Gregorio Lavilla says.

The Chinese Round was unveiled along with the 2027 provisional calendar after the Italian Round a couple of weeks ago.

WorldSBK will visit the country for the first time next year, hosted by the Shanghai International Circuit that previously had MotoGP races in the 2000s and which has hosted Formula 1 since 2004, with the exception of the Covid years in 2020 and 2021.

For WorldSBK, the addition of a Chinese round comes after two years of having only one round outside Europe, and as the presence of Chinese manufacturers has increased in the series. 

The 2025 World Supersport 300 title was won by Benat Fernandez on a Kove, which has continued to compete in the new Sportbike class; in Supersport there is the presence of QJ Motor and ZXMoto; and it has been announced today that the WorldWCR series will be supplied by CFMoto from 2027, a manufacturer which has also been developing a WorldSBK project with its new V4 superbike.

“It’s a big change [the race in China] and especially it’s something that has been growing through all these years, having Chinese manufacturers in the championship, winning the last World Supersport 300 championship by a Kove machine, this year the eruption especially of ZXMoto,” WorldSBK executive director Gregorio Lavilla told the world feed broadcast during practice at Estoril.

“We always are looking to expand our calendar, and all the pieces were coming together. 

“So, when I saw the opportunity I felt like it was something that deserved my full attention because I think, for the motorsport in general and particularly for World Superbike, to be able to go to China is something really big for motorsport and worldwide, it’s a very powerful economy. 

“So, it’s going to be something that I expect is going to bring a lot of positives into the championship.”