Sokol, Kazakhstan

OPINION: Canceling Kazakhstan Shows Dorna's Calendar Gambles Need To End

By David Emmett |

Entirely predictably, MotoGP is not going to Kazakhstan. Instead, the paddock will be staying in Misano - briefly moving out of the paddock to make way for the Italian Bike Festival IBF, which takes place in the weekend between the two Misano rounds, then moving everything back in again - before facing a mad dash to get to Lombok in time for the Indonesian Grand Prix at the Mandalika International Circuit.

That frantic dash encapsulates the state of the 2024 MotoGP calendar: teams will have to rush to get everything packed up into air freight containers, which will then be rushed to an airport to be loaded aboard the Qatar Airways Boeing 777s that will fly everything to Lombok. There should be just enough time to get there, but even a slight delay - for weather, mechanical issues, whatever - could end up leaving the teams with freight missing, and causing a delay to proceedings at Mandalika. Chaotic, disorganized, last-minute. It will probably work out fine. But the chances of something going wrong are uncomfortably high.

Why are Dorna risking the possible embarrassment of a Friday with no bikes on track? Because a policy they have pursued for many years, with relative success, has finally come back to bite them. Circuits have been signed up to the promise of a MotoGP round in the future, with financial guarantees to Dorna - either from insurance or from the circuit - if it proves impossible for the race to take place. As I understand it, in most cases the financial guarantees more than covered the losses that not holding the race incurred.

To lose one race may be regarded as a misfortune...

Kazakhstan MotoGP Round Canceled Again - To Be Replaced By Qatar

By David Emmett |

Though it is still officially to be confirmed, news around the MotoGP paddock on Sunday morning is that the Kazakhstan round of MotoGP, scheduled for the weekend of September 22nd, is to be canceled, with the event replaced by a second visit to Qatar. 

Motorsport.com were the first to publish the news, and they are reporting that the problem was that the event organizers could not provide sufficient guarantees that the race could go ahead. The Sokol International Racetrack is quite remote, 70km from Almaty, the nearest large city. But access to the race track is difficult, and sources suggest the some of the infrastructure has been slow to appear.

India GP Postponed Until 2025, Kazakhstan To Take Its Place, Subject To Homologation

By David Emmett |

As I wrote yesterday, the Indian Grand Prix at the Buddh International Circuit has been postponed until 2025. The official press release mentions "operational considerations". The reasons have to do with late payment of hosting fees by the Buddh International Circuit - in part due to the Indian elections which end on Saturday - and in part due to the fact that September is the wrong time to host a race in India. 

In effect, this comes down to a cancellation of the 2024 round in India, and an early announcement of the date of the 2025 round. Next year, the race will be held in early March, presumably right after the opening round in Qatar. That will create much better weather conditions for fans, riders, and marshals.

The Sokol International Racetrack in Kazakhstan has been penciled in to take the place of the Indian round of MotoGP. It is to be held from September 20-22, the same date as India was originally scheduled. 

Kazakhstan MotoGP Round Postponed - New Date Uncertain

By David Emmett |

MotoGP's first ever visit to Kazakhstan has been delayed. Today, Dorna and the FIM announced that the race will not happen on the weekend of June 14th to 16th. Instead, the date is now to be confirmed. 

The official reason for the cancellation is flooding which has hit several parts of Kazakhstan and neighboring Russia. But that has mostly impacted the northern part of the country, a long way from Almaty and the Sokol International Racetrack. It is possible that the Kazakh government want to deflect criticism of staging an event in the middle of a national emergency. It has faced protest over its handling of the floods, which have been disastrous in some areas of the country.

MotoGP Friday Link Dump: Mugello And Jerez Make Safety Upgrades, Michelin Meeting Monday, And An e-Fuels Deep Dive

By David Emmett |

It may be the middle of team launch season (and the start of WorldSBK testing), but there are still things happening in the background. So here's another round up of interesting news morsels I have come across.

Michelin under pressure?

2024 Provisional MotoGP Race & Test Calendar

Date Grand Prix Race/Test Circuit
1-3 February Sepang Shakedown Test Test Sepang
6-8 February Sepang MotoGP Test Test Sepang
19-20 February Qatar MotoGP Test Test
Assen, The Netherlands
Austin, Texas
Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain
Buriram, Thailand
Jerez, Spain
Le Mans, France
Losail, Qatar
Mandalika, Indonesia
Misano, Italy
Motegi, Japan
Motorland Aragon, Spain
Mugello, Italy
Phillip Island, Australia
Portimao, Portugal
Sachsenring, Germany
Sepang, Malaysia
Silverstone, Great Britain
Spielberg, Austria
Valencia, Spain
Sokol, Kazakhstan
MotoGP
Moto2
Moto3

22 Races For MotoGP In 2024 - Kazahstan Back On, Hungary On Reserve List, 4 Races In Spain

By David Emmett |

The 2024 MotoGP calendar is back up to the agreed maximum of 22 races. Kazakhstan is back on the calendar for next year, and all four Spanish circuits are on the calendar alongside Portimão. After the successful Indian round of MotoGP, Buddh International Circuit stays on the calendar. But apart from that, the calendar is pretty conventional.

The season kicks off in Qatar on March 10th, a date that was published earlier. Two weeks later, the MotoGP circus makes a quick stop off in Portimão before heading to the Americas, with Argentina happening on April 7th, and Austin a week later.

After a two-week break, MotoGP resumes its usual European round, going from Jerez to Le Mans to Barcelona and then Mugello. Kazakhstan fits in between Mugello and Assen, with a weekend off either side of the track situated north west of Almaty. Then Assen in its traditional slot of the last weekend in June, and the Sachsenring a week later.

Kazakhstan Round Of MotoGP Canceled - MotoGP Now Down To 20 Rounds

By David Emmett |

The inaugural Kazakhstan MotoGP round has been canceled. In a press release today, Dorna and the FIM have announced that homologation work is still needed for the circuit to be able to host a MotoGP race.

The press release also mentions "current global operational challenges", which suggests that the logistics of hosting a race in Kazakhstan pose significant problems. The ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine has had a significant impact on the cost and availability of airfreight, but other factors may also be an issue. Paddock sources told me that, for example, they found it impossible to secure the number of rental cars which are needed for an event the scale of a MotoGP round.

The race will not be replaced, meaning that the calendar is now back down to 20 rounds. There will now be a summer break of 5 weeks between the Dutch TT at Assen, the last round in June, and the British Grand Prix in Silverstone on August 6th.

The press release appears below:

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