For those following the construction of the Balatonring in Hungary, the news that the Hungarian GP has been officially cancelled by Dorna and the FIM should be of little surprise. After having a myriad of problems, especially finding funding, the Hungarian track was a dealt a death blow this Monday when the Hungarian Development Bank declined to underwrite a loan for the track. With no money in sight, Dorna and the FIM had no choice but to officially cancel the venue, and implement Plan B, which sees MotoGP stopping at four, yes four tracks in Spain for 2010. Read more after the jump.
Followers of the 2009 MotoGP season buildup should recognize the situation at hand as being familiar, as like this year, the Hungarian GP was to take place in 2009, but ultimately had to be cancelled. Scrambling then for a new venue, MotoGP picked Motorland Aragon as a back-up venue for 2009. Located near Alcañiz, Spain, the added Spanish round, now added to the 2010 calendar, will run during the allotted slot for the Hungarian GP: September 19th. This will bring the grand total of GP’s held in the Spain to a even number of four, but the timing of the Aragon GP is evenly placed between the Valencia and Catalunya rounds, so as not to cannibalize on either of those events too heavily (Jerez is much earlier in the season).
While Spanish GP’s are almost certain to draw a full attendance in the grandstands, it would seem MotoGP is falling into the trap of tapping into the quick buck, rather than developing the series across the globe more fully. Hopefully next year, with the added lead time, we’ll see the series continue to include new venues. We here at Asphalt & Rubber still think São Pablo would host a great GP.
In other news, it’s reported that Loris Capirossi is owed one steak dinner by Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta.
Source: MotoGP
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