James Warren
THE FIM and Dorna Sports have revealed the latest changes to the 2020
MotoGP calendar after a series of cancellations due to the coronavirus
pandemic.
The season will now start in Jerez de la Frontera on May 3 after travel restrictions led to the cancellation of the opening round in Qatar for the premier class, while the Moto2 and the Moto3 class continued to race as their infrastructure was already there after a preseason test.
The second round in Argentina and the third in Austin, Texas were also
postponed to later on in the year within hours as more and more countries locked down their borders.
In a statement by Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta, the FIM has now confirmed that the Argentinian GP has been rescheduled to November 22, taking the slot of the Valencian GP which will now be held a week later on November 29.
The American round will also now take place November 15.
The new schedule has put the whole paddock under strain as there are now eight races in just 10 weeks at the end of the season, with three back-to-back races in Japan, Australia and Malaysia followed by another three in Austin, Argentina and Spain.
Other grand prix have also been put under doubt as Italy is now on
lockdown, but the Ducati Factory Team have remained adamant that they
will still test at the end of the month in Valencia, despite test organisers KTM pulling out and the Italian Aprilia squad remaining grounded.
Ezpeleta has been working hard to push forward with the season. With sponsorship commitments and TV deals on the cards, the CEO has not ruled out the possibility of double header races and holding events behind closed doors.
The season will now start in Jerez on May 3 but with the current situation in Spain it is highly possible that we won’t have seen the last in cancellations.
