World Superbike Championship set for 2017 India debut: JPSI chief

NEW DELHI: The future of Formula 1 in India depends on income tax hurdles but Superbike World Championship (WSBK) is finally set to take place at the Buddh International Circuit in 2017, Jaypee Sports International (JPSI) chief Sameer Gaur has said.

"We have signed the contract with WSBK for the race in 2017. We are contractually bound to host the race," Gaur told PTI today.

The inaugural WSBK India round was supposed to take place in 2013 until it was cancelled due to "operational challenges".

JPSI is also contracted to host two more F1 rounds but that can only happen when income tax issues surrounding the event are sorted, Gaur said earlier.

WSBK commercial rights holder Dorna Sports may not have to overcome the tax hurdles faced by F1 in India but there are bound to be logistical challenges.

Back in 2013, WSBK executive director Javier Alonso had said India was the "most complicated round on the calendar in terms of custom clearance".

But a positive development has taken place since then and motorsport is now recognised by the government, therefore, getting customs and other clearances should be a less arduous task.

Asked about BIC hosting any other international championship in the near future, Gaur said: "As of now, we are only thinking about WSBK and F1 will return when the tax issue is settled. Apart from that, the usual domestic events will continue to take place."

He, however, acknowledged the need for big ticket events at BIC.

"We have made such a huge facility, invested so much in it, obviously to have international races. And I am not only talking about F1, I am talking about other championships too. As a private developer, we understand that we need to do lots of events to keep the facility going," he said referring to the USD 400 million circuit.

WSBK and MotoGP are the two most popular two-wheel racing series. While MotoGP is considered as the F1 of bike racing, WSBK is seen as an equivalent of sports car racing. Both Championships are now run by Dorna Sports.