Contrary to what happens with MotoGP, the Superbike World Championship does not have a “phase” outside of Europe, with a round in Australia being the exception and right at the start of the championship. Gregorio Lavilla explained the reason for this, with part of the reasons being related to the high costs that such an operation implies.
In an interview with Motosan.es, the CEO of the championship was asked about the reasons why this specific championship is so focused on Europe, and responded as follows: ‘I think there are things we could analyze. How we could change this, because there is a lot of substance. This gives you three interviews. But of course. If you ask me if the European Championship, with the conditions we manage and with the audience we bring to most circuits, is sustainable as an event, what happens outside? Costs increase fivefold. But not because we ask for more for ourselves, but because of the costs. So, this is where I would tell you what comes from the premium brand or non-premium’.
And he continued: ‘There are efforts, because when we have to go abroad, it also costs much more for other championships, but that brand, that exposure, already has an income to say ‘well, I bring this’. That’s the goal. To say, as many of the brands we have are also on the other side… Maybe that’s where we can turn around to improve that’.
Although the goal is to make WSBK a more global championship, it must be done consciously: ‘I would like to think that it could be a temporary and occasional thing due to a situation that happened now, which is not the norm. Everyone has to have the clear notion that, being a World Championship, we have to have a certain presence. We have to have all the ingredients to cook well’.
