The World Superbike Championship (WSBK) heads to Donington Park next weekend, but the trip to the British round is facing significant challenges at the Port of Calais.
According to GPOne.com, about half of the teams have been stuck for several days due to customs documentation issues. Since the United Kingdom is no longer part of the European Union, completing and submitting the ATA Carnet (a kind of passport for goods) listing all transported items is mandatory.
This document is issued by the Chamber of Commerce and aims to facilitate the temporary export and import of goods. Until a few months ago, the Port of Calais was responsible for stamping this document. However, due to increased traffic flows, the rules have changed, and now the stamp must be issued by the country of origin of the goods. Additionally, Calais has refused to stamp any goods coming from the European Community. As a result, the WSBK teams encountered these problems upon arriving at the port.
Some teams have been held up for several days, while others had to return to Italy. Some, like Kawasaki Puccetti, have given up on transporting certain equipment. As a result, they won’t have their hospitality facilities at Donington Park due to the long trip required to return to Italy and back. The Team GoEleven managed to resolve the impasse thanks to the team owner’s family, who made the necessary trip to deliver the documents.