Portimao, Portugal

After already having staged the first race, the World Superbike calendar has finally been updated and lost its provisional status. Today, the FIM issued an official, finalized version of the 2013 World Superbike calendar, confirming the changes we reported on yesterday.

The Silverstone race has been confirmed, and the Subject To Contract status has been removed from the Portimao and Imola rounds. The round originally scheduled for June 23rd has been scrapped, and a new round scheduled for Istanbul Park on September 15th. The replacement of Istanbul Park for the 23rd June round, for which Brno had originally been penciled in, means that the Superstock calendar is reduced by one round, from 10 races to just 9, while the World Superbike calendar now has 15 rounds planned, including two races in the UK, at Donington and Silverstone, and a trip across the Atlantic to Laguna Seca.

Below is the official press release issued by the FIM containing the updated and finalized calendar:

FIM Superbike, Supersport World Championships & FIM Superstock 1000cc Cup

New round on the 2013 calendar

The FIM today issued a press release confirming the news that the Indian round of World Superbikes has been moved to November 17th, as we reported earlier today. Below is the official press release:

FIM Superbike, Supersport World Championships & FIM Superstock 1000cc Cup

2013 Provisional calendar, updated 15 January (Change in bold)

The World Superbike race in India has been moved from the 10 March to the 17 November due to an insufficient period of time to properly finalise the training of the marshals and medical staff around the racetrack. FIM representatives will be at the Indian track on 19, 20 and 21 this January, in order to carry out the final racetrack homologation and provide the relevant seminars about the different aspects involved in the sporting organisation of the event.

FIM Superbike, Supersport World Championships & FIM Superstock 1000cc Cup

New round on the 2013 calendar

A new round will be included in the FIM Superbike & Supersport World Championships. It will be held on the circuit of Intercity Istanbul Park near Istanbul (Turkey) on September 15, 2013. The 2013 updated calendar is the following:

Press releases from the World Superbike and World Supersport teams, as well as the WSBK organizers, after Sunday's races at Portimao in Portugal:

In a weekend where championships could be determined, the weather decided once more that it needed to leave its mark. With wind and rain, the Superstock 1000 race had to be moved to late afternoon and races had to be held with only dry set up time.

Race Two was declared dry and the weather would no longer play a part in this weekend's racing. 

Kenan Sofuoglu only needed to finish fourth to earn his third World Supersport title. With a damn but drying track, one would expect him to ride conservatively and take no risks. Anyone that follows Supersport racing, knows that's not what was going to happen.

The rains visited Portugal in the morning and the Superstock 1000 race was pushed back to late afternoon. Race one was run as a wet race and all but one rider started with full wet tyres.

Press releases from the World Superbike and World Supersport teams, as well as the WSBK press office, after qualifying at Portimao:

As teams announce new lineups and new tracks are added to the 2013 calendar this weekend, one could easily be forgiven for thinking the 2012 season has finished. With two races to go, and one hundred points still up for grabs, nothing could be further than the truth.

World Supersport qualifying at the penultimate round, Portimao.

Superpole was dry at Portimao, even though rain has been slated as a possibility for tomorrow.

Max Biaggi once again holds off Tom Sykes to set the fastest time of the session. Leon Haslam and Marco Melandri swap places from this morning's session and Carlos Checa breaks into the top eight. As the Superpole places were decided this morning, most riders would have used this session for setup and tyre tests, but Melandri should start getting worried about Biaggi retaining the title lead about now. 

Results: