India round of WSBK may be in trouble

The India round of the World Superbike Championship scheduled for March 10 at Buddh International Circuit is running into problems. India custom authorities want all the team’s technical equipment to arrive in the country at least 15 days in advance. This will be a big problem for them because the first round of 2013 will be held on 24^th February at Phillip Island.

The authorities also want all the teams to deposit money which is equal to the value of equipment that is not for sale. Once the event is finished and the equipment leaves the country, the deposited money will be refunded to all the concerned team. But there are high chances of the refunding process to get delayed, due inclusion of government officials. This might result in a cash crunch for the smaller teams.

This issue with customs is not new. During the first two Formula One races, the Indian customs authorities had raised the same issue with all the formula one teams.

WSBK officials are going to hold an emergency meeting with the team officials in Madrid next week. They might also set up a meeting with Indian customs officials to resolve this issue.