WORLD SUPERBIKES RELEASES PROVISIONAL 2023 CALENDAR

Barely three months after the Motul FIM Superbike World Championship last visited Phillip Island, the category will return to the Victorian circuit in February for the first round of the 2023 season.

On 8 November, the Superbike World Championship released their provisional calendar for 2023, which sees World Superbikes and World Supersport return to a “traditional” schedule and “traditional” dates for the coming 12-round season.

After a late start in 2021 and 2022 due to COVID-19, season 2023 kicks off on 24-26 February at Phillip Island, which hosted this year’s season finale, but has been Round 1 every year from 2009 to 2020.

The pre-season test will also return to Phillip Island in 2023, to be held at the seaside circuit on 20-21 February.

Mandalika in Indonesia, which hosted the season finale in 2021, is Round 2, then there's more than a month’s break before the next round at Assen; the first stint of a run in Europe that lasts from April to October, including the mid-season break in August.

The European rounds are almost all the same as those from this year, with the only circuit not locked in for 2023 being Estoril in Portugal, but Portimao remains on the calendar and will host World Superbikes until at least 2027 after signing a five-year deal on 4 November.

Aragon, which has hosted the season opener for the past two years, moves from April to September, while Catalunya is switched from September to May. Misano, Donington, Most, Magny Cours and Portimao hold similar places in the 2023 calendar as they did this year, with the flyaway at San Juan de Villicum in Argentina also in a familiar slot to this year.

The 2023 calendar hasn’t finalised a date, country or circuit for the twelfth and final round, with speculation that an all-new circuit, possibly in the USA, will host the finale.

As in past years, all the rounds in continental Europe will also host the seven-round Supersport 300 World Championship.