The coronavirus is causing substantial issues for MotoGP, with a singular cancellation and postponement occurring. The 1st applies to the Qatar Grand Prix, which has officially been cancelled following the 2020 Calendar. It extends to the Thailand Grand Prix, which has been postponed for an unidentified amount of time. There’s the potential for additional cancellations or postponements in the following weeks as well.
This upcoming season has been thrown into severe chaos, with the increasing spread of the coronavirus or covid-19, prompting substantial cancellations of multiple venues. When it applies to the Qatar Grand Prix, it’s been cancelled following increase travel restrictions. Officials in Thailand’s Buriram are concerned with the potential for increased spread, with them requiring that MotoGP postpone the race until they deem it’s safe. It took the requirement of MotoGP representatives to ensure that a Championship would still be held in 2020 for fans to remain calm.
The Updated Schedule
An official press conference was held throughout the February 6th weekend, informing programmers and reporters that all three variations of the MotoGP Circuits would be held. This includes Moto2 and Moto3, with all three seasons slated to begin on April 5th at the Circuit of the Americas. Considering that this circuit was slated to be the 3rd venue this season, it’s a considerable change-up in the scheduling.
When it applies to the Thailand Grand Prix, MotoGP Representatives confirmed that it’d be returning by October 4th following the potential decrease in spreading. It’ll replace the predestined scheduling for the Aragon Grand Prix, which will now be held on September 27th The result of these changes is a minimal increased period of waiting between the lost Qatar Grand Prix.
Additional Details
It should be noted that these are the only changing being altered to these existing calendar. Instead of twenty races being held throughout the 2020 season, it’ll be limited to nineteen. This extends to the Moto2 and Moto3 competitions. There are an additional four weeks that follow before the MotoGP season is slated to begin, with the unpredictable elements of the coronavirus concerning fans and MotoGP executives that further travel restrictions could be implemented worldwide. Considering that the coronavirus is already spreading in Argentina and the USA, there’s the potential these two events could be cancelled as well. We’ll keep our readers informed of any additional alterations to the MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3 schedules.