The World Superbike Championship will no longer return to the Sepang circuit in Malaysia in 2017, according to Sepang International Circuit (SIC) CEO, Dato’ Razlan Razali. One of the reasons given for not renewing the WSBK contract is the disappointing crowd numbers over the three years of hosting the event, and as a result, they have now decided to rather focus on their hosting of the Formula 1 and MotoGP events.
Goodbye WSBK!no more WSBK next year in Sepang International Circuit.??
— Twt Bikers | ADM1N (@twt_bikers) July 27, 2016
Razali confirmed the news to reporters blaming the current financial climate for their decision.
“With SIC’s contract to host the WorldSBK ending this year, we decided not to continue hosting this event in Sepang,” said Razali. “Due to the current financial climate and SIC’s financial commitments to improve our existing facilities as well as build new ones, it is the most prudent decision at this point.
“As we are looking to avoid financial risks at the moment, we feel it is best to reserve resources for our two biggest international events – the Formula 1 Petronas Malaysia Grand Prix and the Shell Malaysia Motorcycle Grand Prix.
“Nevertheless, we may consider hosting WorldSBK again in the future when the financial climate improves and if our market insights indicate great interest and demand to bring it back.
“Hosting the WorldSBK has been meaningful to the SIC team and we will miss organising the event. However, when we look at all the factors as a whole, the decision not to continue hosting the WorldSBK in Sepang is the best one at the moment.
“We hope the future will offer other opportunities to bring WorldSBK back to Malaysia.”