MotoGP set to release revised 2020 calendar next week

Thursday, 4 June 2020 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Repsol Honda's Marc Marquez in action during the race - Reuters

PARIS, AFP: MotoGP is expected to announce a reworked schedule next week for a season it hopes to start in July, championship organisers said Wednesday.

“We hope to present our calendar next week,” said Dorna chief executive Carmelo Ezpeleta in a video on the MotoGP website.

“And it will start, if everything goes well, on 19 July in Jerez. The later races will be in the beginning of November, making around 12 to 13 rounds.” MotoGP promoters Dorna are awaiting Spanish government approval to start the truncated season with back-to-back races at the Jerez circuit on 19 and 26 July.

The 2020 season was due to start on March 8 in Qatar but only Moto2 and Moto3 races went ahead before strict quarantine measures were imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Several races were postponed while seven have been scrapped.

“For the four non-European races which haven’t been cancelled, that means Thailand, Malaysia, the United States and Argentina, we have a deadline until the end of July to tell everybody if we continue or stop,” said Ezpeleta. “That means after two races of this year we will see if the calendar is 12, 13, or any more, with a maximum of 16,” he added, explaining that stringent health measures had been put in place with a view to resuming the championship.