The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to be a wrecking ball to the MotoGP calendar, with now the Grand Prix of the Americas being postponed because of health concerns and travel restrictions.
The announcement coming jointly from Dorna, IRTA, and the FIM is not a surprise for those following the space, and just yesterday we speculated about today’s possible news.
With Italy overnight clamping down the entire country, and and cases of the virus continuing to grow in Europe and America, today’s announced postpone seemed all but certain.
The silver lining for MotoGP fans though is that the Americas GP will not be canceled, instead it will be moved to November 13th to 15th (the original dates for the Valencia GP, which has been pushed back another week), as the MotoGP Championship calendar continues to creep closer to the 2021 new year.
Holding races in 2021, is possibility said FIM President Jorge Viegas, while talking on a Catalan radio station. There is the possibility too that MotoGP might hold double-header races over a weekend (like WorldSBK) or maybe race at the Portimao circuit, which is a backup venue for the championship.
Seemingly, not option is off the table yet for the premier class, but so far Dorna seems to be able to find new calendar spots for its failing rounds.
For US racing fans, the Circuit of the Americas has stated that all tickets for the April event will be valid in November, but that anyone wishing a refund can do so as well. The MotoAmerica round for April will not take place, and will likely run in November as well, according to the series.
Today’s news also means that the MotoGP season will provisionally start in Argentina now, though one has to assume that will only be the case if travel restrictions in Italy cease in a timely fashion.
Source: MotoGP
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