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2017 MotoGP Calendar Becomes Official

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The 2017 MotoGP calendar is now officially confirmed. The FIM removed the provisional status of the calendar after Dorna finalized contracts with the two remaining circuits still left with an asterisk: Silverstone and Sepang.

The situation with Sepang had been settled earlier, with Sepang keen to retain a MotoGP race for the long term. Sepang has grown to become one of the best-attended races on the calendar. So large are the crowds that they now easily outnumber attendance for F1, which the circuit is trying to drop.

Silverstone was the last race to be finalized. Representatives from the Circuit of Wales, which holds the contract for the British round of MotoGP, had traveled to the Movistar Yamaha launch in Madrid, where they met with Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta.

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MotoGP

2017 MotoGP Provisional Calendar Updated

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The FIM today issued a revised and updated version of the provisional 2017 MotoGP calendar. The calendar features just a single change: the date of the German round of MotoGP at Sachsenring has been moved forward two weeks, and will now take place on July 2nd.

The change has both benefits and disadvantages. On the plus side, moving the date of the Sachsenring race means that the riders now have a proper summer break again, with a month off to recover between the Sachsenring and the following race at Brno.

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WSBK

2017 World Superbike Calendar Released – Portimao Returns, While Jerez & Sepang Disappear

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The provisional 2017 World Superbike calendar has been released, but unlike the MotoGP calendar, which is unchanged, there are a couple of minor differences to the schedule.

The World Superbike class will contest 13 rounds, just as they did in 2016, spread across three continents. Sepang and Jerez have been dropped, and Portimao makes a comeback.

The WorldSBK calendar also sees a new class added to the series. As announced previously, the new World Supersport 300 class has been added as a cheap entry series, where young riders will take each other on aboard a wide range of the cheap, one and two cylinder sports bikes which manufacturers are currently building.

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Racing

2017 American Flat Track Calendar Released

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The 2017 calendar for the newly rebranded American Flat Track racing series has been released. The 18-round schedule traverses the USA, with four different race track varieties: (6) mile-long tracks, (7) half-mile track, (2) short-track courses, and (3) TT type courses.

2017 also sees American Flat Track using a new class structure, with the premier class is the AFT Twins class, comprised of two-cylinder motorcycles with displacements ranging from 650cc to 999cc. There will also be an AFT Singles class for upcoming riders, which will be based on 450cc single-cylinder bikes.

With plenty of opportunities through the year, and through out the country, we supremely suggest you attend an American Flat Track round this coming season. We think you will find it highly satisfying to your two-wheeled inclinations.

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Racing

2017 MotoAmerica Provisional Calendar Released

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The provisional calendar for the MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Race Championship has been released, and it features a 10-stop tour for American road racing.

The 2017 calendar looks like an improvement over the 2016 schedule, with fewer gaps between races and no repeat venues. Fans will also welcome the return of Sonoma Raceway (that’s Sears Point to you locals) to the calendar, as well as the debut of Pittsburgh International Race Complex (one of my personal favorite tracks).

Geographically, the 2017 MotoAmerica calendar makes a lot more sense too, with more of a logical progression across the map between races, a benefit for teams and logistics personnel.

Fans from around the USA should be able to get to at least one round within a day’s travel by car, which should help attendance numbers.

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MotoGP

2017 MotoGP Test Dates – Sepang, Phillip Island, & Qatar

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The 2017 season is starting to take shape. After the announcement of the provisional 2017 MotoGP calendar in the run up to Aragon, Dorna published the schedule of official tests for the 2017 preseason. Like the race calendar, the test calendar looks remarkably similar to last year.

Testing kicks off after the final race of 2016 in Valencia, and as last year, the riders get a day off between the race and the test, with the bikes taking to the track on Tuesday.

Up until last year, the test had always started on the Monday after the race, but that was changed last year, with the explanation that the teams needed an extra day of preparation to get the bikes set up with the Michelin tires and spec electronics.

No major technical rules are to change for 2017 (with the exception of the banning of winglets), but the extra day of rest is to be maintained.

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MotoGP

2017 MotoGP Provisional Calendar Released

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There is a current fashion in moviemaking, of taking proven formulas from the past, giving them a light makeover and then relaunching them, then trying to spice them up by referring to them as a “reboot” or “reloaded”.

Dorna executives must have been to see Ghostbusters, Mad Max, and many more, as the 2017 MotoGP calendar is best described as 2016 Reloaded.

The 2017 MotoGP calendar is almost identical to the 2016 calendar, with a couple of minor tweaks. Those tweaks are a clear improvement on 2016: there are fewer large gaps, and there are fewer back-to-back races.

There have been some changes to help with logistics, and some to help with race organizations.

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MotoGP

Catalunya Track & Schedule Modified After Salom Incident

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After the tragic death of Luis Salom, as a result of injuries sustained in a crash during Moto2 FP2, the track layout is to be modified for the remainder of the MotoGP weekend. The event is to continue, in accordance with the wishes of the family of Luis Salom, as well as the riders and teams.

The track configuration is to be changed, and the riders in all three classes will use the layout used by Formula One, which has a much sharper corner at Turn 10, the rounded corner being replaced with something approaching a hairpin.

Now instead of the flowing into Turn 12, riders will also use the chicane that replaces it for F1, adding a tighter right-hander followed by a sharp left-right combination. The new layout is shown in a graphic above.

To allow the riders to get accustomed to the new layout, all three classes will be given 15 minutes extra track time in FP3. This means that FP3 will start at 8:40am for the Moto3 class, and last until 9:35am. MotoGP FP3 will run between 9:50a, and 10:50am, while Moto2 FP3 will take place between 11:05am and 12:05pm.

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WSBK

WSBK: No Replacement for Monza, Series Now 13 Rounds

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The 2016 World Superbike calendar will have just thirteen rounds. Attempts at finding a replacement for the canceled Monza round have failed, causing the calendar to definitively lose a round.

Dorna had been in talks with several other circuits to replace the races at Monza, with the Estoril circuit being the most popular candidate. However, no agreement could be reached with any of the replacement candidates, and Dorna had no choice but to cancel.

All hope is not lost for Monza, however. Work continues at the iconic Italian track, including efforts to make it suitable for motorcycle racing. The circuit could yet make a return, but not this year.

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Racing

Good News, You Can Now Watch AMA Supermoto on TV

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For the first time in eight years, you can now watch AMA Supermoto racing action on TV, as the rebooted series has signed a television deal with the MAVTV Motorsports Networks.

The TV package is a bit limited, as it includes 12 airings of six episodes (two apiece), which will cover racing from three venues, as well as highlights from the other three races on the calendar, but it is still a step in the right direction for supermoto racing in the USA.

The three race venues that MAVTV will cover are the rounds in Sturgis, South Dakota (round three); Denver, Colorado (round five); Tuscon, Arizona (the season finale).

In addition to the MAVTV package, the main event at the Quebec City race (round four) will get national and international coverage, as its part of the World Rally X Series.

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Dirt

2016 AMA Supermoto Championship Calendar Released

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Now in its third year of racing, since its revival, the AMA has released the 2016 AMA Supermoto Championship calendar.

For this year’s racing, American supermoto racers will have six events to test their mettle, most of which take place in the Western half of the United States, though there is one round in Quebec City, to keep the Canucks at bay.

Perhaps most importantly though, the AMA Supermoto Championship will return to television, as the series has inked a TV package with MAVTV Motorsports Networks. The TV package includes six episodes, with 12 airings, which will be produced by Greg White.

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