MotoMatters.com | Kropotkin Thinks

Crash.net is reporting that the Taupo Motorsports Park, which has just received a $2 million funding boost, is in negotiations with Dorna for a five year contract to host a MotoGP round. With the calendar already crowded, you have to wonder which of the GPs would disappear. The New Zealand Minister for Economic Development stated in the announcement that the facilities would be "as good as the best facilities in Australia", but it is unlikely that the Australian GP round at Phillip Island would disappear, as it is a firm favourite with the riders, always draws a good crowd, and produces great racing. With speculation rife that Shanghai is to be dropped from the calendar, especially after the announcement that Misano is to be added to the calendar for next year, the next candidate for replacement would be Qatar, as the attendance at Losail barely makes it out of triple figures.

New Zealand is an obvious choice for staging a MotoGP round, as the country has a long and vivid history in motorsports, and motorcycle racing. It is the birth place of that motorcycling genius John Britten, for a start, has produced a long list of racers in various classes, and is home to a large community of motorcycle enthusiasts and two- and four-wheeled motorsports fans. The Taupo track is to be extended to 3.5 km (just under 2 1/4 miles), which would make it one of the shortest tracks of the season, if it were to host a MotoGP round.