This year’s Brno round of MotoGP looks to be under severe threat. Ticket sales on the circuit’s official website for the event have been suspended as of this afternoon, after talks with Brno city council and the regional government broke down over funding of the race.
The message on the Brno circuit website reads:
With an immediate effect, Automotodrom Brno suspends the sale of tickets for the Grand Prix of the Czech Republic 2015 due to insufficient funding for the event.
The final decision on the Grand Prix of the Czech Republic 2015 will be published on 29 June. In case of cancellation of the event, all paid tickets will be refunded.
The issue seems to be a disagreement between the circuit, the city council, the regional government and the Czech state. All of the interested parties are keen to see the race happen, but none are willing to cover the costs without imposing conditions.
At stake is a total of CZK 50 million, or roughly $2 million. Funds have been made available by the Moravian regional government, the city council and the Ministry for Education, but the circuit is still trying to reach an agreement with those offering the funds over the conditions for that money.
The lack of agreement means that the deadline for the circuit to pay Dorna has passed. Talks are continuing between the track and the authorities over a solution, but they will require Dorna’s forebearance over moneys not paid to the series organizer.
It will be interesting to see whether Dorna is prepared to hang on until the 29th to give Brno a second chance. As the Czech round is the most popular of the season, with the highest attendance figures of the year, it is hard to understand how the circuit can be short of the funds needed to pay the race.
This article was originally published on MotoMatters, and is republished here on Asphalt & Rubber with permission by the author.
Source: Automotodrom Brno
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