MotoGP says it is in talks to stage the final race of the 2024 season in Barcelona.
Confirmed:
- Series has confirmed the season-ending race will not go ahead in Valencia due to devastating floods in the region
- Barcelona chosen for its close location to Valencia
- The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya hosted the sixth race of the current season in May
Context:
MotoGP confirmed that its final race at Valencia’s Ricardo Tormo circuit would not go ahead given the heavy flooding in the eastern Spanish region. It appears to now have settled on Barcelona as its replacement venue, to allow for minimal disruption for teams, riders and fans.
Through unfortunate circumstances, Valencia now becomes the fourth race to be cancelled from the 2024 season. The series has already confirmed it plans to stage its season-finale for next season in the Spanish city, which will make up the second part of an Iberian double-header.
Comment:
In a video posted on the MotoGP website, Carlos Ezpeleta, Dorna Sports’ chief sporting officer, said: “We have been looking at all the possibilities we had, it’s very challenging to organise an event in two weeks, but during the last 48 hours we’ve looked at all possible alternatives.
“We think that Barcelona is the best possible place given the proximity to Valencia, given that a lot of people were already travelling through to get to the finale, and especially for fans – we think it’s the best possible place for them.
“We also know we will be able to help the community of Valencia from that location as well.”
Coming next:
Ezpeleta said the series hopes to gain approval from local authorities later this week, before confirming the race’s move to Barcelona. The season decider would take place between 15th and 17th November, as originally scheduled.
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