SBK World Championship Announces Addition of India's Buddh International Circuit to 2013 Calendar

India’s Buddh International Circuit to join 2013 World Superbike calendar

Rome (Italy), June 9^th, 2012 – Infront Motor Sports has signed an agreement with Jaypee Sports International Ltd (JPSI), a subsidiary of the private Indian engineering and construction conglomerate Jaypee Group, to host a round of the eni FIM Superbike World Championship calendar at the Buddh International Circuit (BIC).

The contract runs for four years, from 2013 to 2016. Next season, the Indian Round of the championship is scheduled to take place on March 10^th.

World Superbike is set to open up a new frontier in India as it becomes the first international bike racing championship to be hosted at the Hermann Tilke-designed track at Greater Noida (Uttar Pradesh) near Delhi. Indian motorsport enthusiasts, who flocked to the Formula 1 Indian Grand Prix at BIC last year, now have a chance to enjoy some of the most exciting two-wheeled racing in the world.

Maurizio Flammini, Chairman of Infront Motor Sports, declared: “After meeting the promoters of Jaypee Group last year I got the feeling that I was dealing with a highly professional and powerful corporation which will guarantee the organization of a successful race in India, even though the Buddh Circuit was still under construction at the time. This impression was indeed confirmed by the outcome of the Formula 1 race held in October last year which turned out to be one of the best races of the 2011 season. We are sure that the FIM Superbike World Championship will bring added value to BIC as well as to India, and vice-versa. It will also deliver value to all the partners supporting and following our Championship and is a very important opportunity for them to expand their brands and business in Asia.”

Paolo Flammini, Infront Motor Sports CEO, added: “The inclusion of the Indian round in the 2013 FIM Superbike World Championship calendar represents a great achievement for our series and reflects our continuous target to further extend its international presence. India today is one of the most important motorcycle markets in the world, not only in terms of existing bike sales numbers but also growth and the upgrading of the range offered to the consumer. Undoubtedly the inclusion of this event will greatly benefit all the protagonists of our series and will create significant added value for the motorcycle manufacturers.”

After signing the agreement, JPSI Managing-Director and CEO Sameer Gaur said: “We are extremely happy to announce that besides holding the Formula One and FIA GT1 motor racing series, we will also hold a thrilling motorcycle race, the World Superbike Championship, at BIC early next year. There are many in India who are passionate about bikes. I am sure they will love to watch famed motorcycle riders compete against each other here at their own world class racing circuit.”

India will become the twenty-seventh country to host a round of the FIM Superbike World Championship, which in 2013 will celebrate the 26^th year of its existence since it started in 1988. The Buddh International Circuit was inaugurated on October 11^th, 2011.

For further information:

Julian Thomas
Press Office Associate Manager
Cell. +39 340 0993623
Email: julian.thomas@infrontsports.com

Nino Barra
Press Office & PR ItaliaCell. +39 339 4688138
Email: nino.barra@infrontsports.com

Valentina Conti
Sponsorship & Int’l PR Associate Manager
Cell. +39 388 3032059
Email: valentina.conti@infrontsports.com

In 2011 the FIM Superbike World Championship achieved the following:

- A worldwide TV audience of 462 million
- Live broadcasts on 95 television networks covering 173 countries
- 3,106 broadcast hours
- Approximately 1,000,000 race spectators
- 3,779,237 contacts on the official website www.worldsbk.com