Photography by Gold & Goose
The 14-round World Superbike Championship will kick off on February 23 at its customary starting place of Phillip Island in Australia and will culminate on November 2 at a site to be confirmed. In between comes a stop on California’s Monterey Peninsula for the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca round on July 13.
“When World Superbike returned to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca this season we agreed to a three-year contract,” says Gill Campbell, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca CEO/general manager. “We were very pleased with the first year and look forward to building upon its success.”
Laguna’s crowd for their September World Superbike/AMA Superbike round was dismal, but it was also the circuit’s second motorcycle event of the season with the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix taking place at the track in July. For 2014, World Superbike is the only game in town as the California racetrack lost its MotoGP round.
Following the season opener on February 23, the World Superbike series takes a break until the April 13 running of the first of two rounds in Spain at the MotorLand Aragon track. Two weeks later, the series will move to Holland for its race at Assen on April 27.
The month of May will feature two races, with Italy hosting a round at Imola on May 11 followed by the British round at Donington Park on May 25. From England the series heads to Malaysia for a round at Sepang on June 8. The second Italian round will take place in Misano on June 22 followed by the Portuguese race on July 6. Riders and crews will then pack up in Europe and head across the Atlantic to race in California just a week later.
The second Spanish round will be held at Jerez on September 7 with a two-week break before action resumes in Russia on September 21. From there the series heads into its final stretch with Magny-Cours hosting the French round on October 5. From there it’s a jaunt to South Africa for a round at the Phakisa Freeway, though that round is still listed as a “subject to contract.”
The final round is currently slated for November 2 at a country and track “to be confirmed.”
2014 World Superbike Championship
February 23 – Phillip Island, Australia
April 13 – MotorLand Aragon, Spain
April 27 – Assen, Holland
May 11 – Imola, Italy
May 25 – Donington Park, England
June 8 – Sepang, Malaysia
June 22 – Misano, Italy
July 6 – Algarve, Portugal
July 13 – Monterey, California
September 7 – Jerez, Spain
September 21 – Moscow, Russia
October 5 – Magny-Cours, France
October 19 – Phakisa Freeway, South Africa
November 2 – TBC
