It was already apparent on Wednesday that the Finnish round of MotoGP would have to be postponed. Today, we have confirmation.
Lahti Events, the promoter of the Finnish MotoGP round, announced on its website that the race, due to be held on July 12th, has been postponed.
On Tuesday, the Dutch government announced it was extending the ban on public events until September 1st, putting an end to hopes of racing in June. And now yesterday, the Finnish government have ended any hope of MotoGP racing in July.
At a press conference on Wednesday evening, Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin announced that all gatherings of over 500 people are to remain banned until July 31st.
That would make it impossible to hold the Finnish Grand Prix, due to be held on July 12th at the new Kymiring circuit, 130 km northeast of Helsinki.
The 2020 world championship motorcycle racing calendars continue to slide due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
On Tuesday evening, it became apparent that there will be no racing in either MotoGP or WorldSBK before the end of June.
After last Wednesday’s announcement by German Chancellor Angela Merkel that large-scale events would be banned in Germany through August 31st, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte extended the ban on large-scale events in The Netherlands to September 1st.
These two announcements have a direct bearing on the WorldSBK and MotoGP calendars.
In a welcomed diversion from the ongoing onslaught of COVID-19-related news, the Suzuki Ecstar team has announced that it has signed Alex Rins for a further two seasons, meaning that the Spaniard will be riding for the team in the 2021 and 2022 MotoGP seasons, such as they may be.
With the COVID-19 outbreak wreaking havoc on the 2020 motorcycle racing season and the global economy, the Grand Prix Commission, MotoGP’s rule-making body, has announced a raft of measures aimed at cutting costs.
The most significant change, already widely trailed, is that development of engines and aerodynamics is to be frozen for the rest of this year.
What that means in practice is that all six MotoGP factories (Aprilia, Ducati, Honda, KTM, Suzuki, and Yamaha) will have to race in 2020 with the engines they submitted for homologation in March of this year.
While the COVID-19 pandemic holds the world firmly in its grip, Dorna continues to examine options for returning to racing once that becomes possible.
Although any decision on when racing is possible is entirely out of Dorna’s hands, they are still drawing up plans for a range of options for when the current round of global lockdowns and travel restrictions end.
One option Dorna is considering is holding races behind closed doors, with an absolute minimum of staff present.
Humans have a deep-seated need for certainty. Though the human experience runs the full gamut from an excess of spontaneity to rigid and unbending routine, a need for some kind of certainty, some handholds to grasp on to as we make our way through the world. Motorcycle racing fans, as humans, are no different.
So it is unsurprising that people – fans, journalists, team managers, mechanics, etc – have responded to every piece of news about the COVID-19 outbreak by making more or less bold predictions about when racing might resume.
The latest news – that Germany has extended its ban on large-scale events until August 31st, meaning that the MotoGP round at the Sachsenring set for June 21st, and the WorldSBK round at Oschersleben, due to take place on the weekend of August 2nd will both have to be either rescheduled or canceled – has been no different.
Everyone seems keen to make bold predictions of exactly what will happen next.
Episode 140 of the Paddock Pass Podcast is out, and this one takes us back in time, to one of the best MotoGP seasons we have ever had. We are talking about the 2006 MotoGP Championship.
For this stroll down memory lane, this show sees David Emmett, Steve English and, Neil Morrison on the microphones talking about this epic season, and there is a lot to get excited about when talking about the 2006 season.
When the COVID-19 pandemic first forced Dorna to start moving races, they postponed them to later in the year. First Thailand, then Austin, and finally Argentina were moved to new slots in October and November.
But, when it became clear that Jerez and Le Mans could not take place on their planned dates, those races were postponed indefinitely, with no new date given for when they might be held. Now, the first signs of races being canceled are appearing.
Episode 139 of the Paddock Pass Podcast is out, and this one is a departure from our usual broadcast, as we take you behind the microphones to meet the podcasting team that brings you your weekly motorcycle racing fix.
As such, this show includes David Emmett, Steve English, Neil Morrison, and Jensen Beeler on the microphones talking about how they got involved in racing and with each other on this podcasting endeavor.
We admit, it has been a bit rude of us to go so long without introducing ourselves, but hopefully this episode gives our listeners a little insight into who we are, why we are so crazy for motorcycle racing, and how the media landscape in the paddock has changed over time. We hope you enjoy this special episode.
As always, be sure to follow the Paddock Pass Podcast on Facebook, Twitter and subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and SoundCloud – we even have an RSS feed for you.
If you want to support the Paddock Pass Podcast, we now have a Patreon account, where members will get exclusive content. Help support our podcasting endeavors and sign-up to get behind-the-scenes looks at the motorcycle racing paddocks.
Source: SoundCloud
When we will be able to go racing? That’s the question everybody wants an answer to, as MotoGP and WorldSBK rounds are canceled seemingly every week.
The COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak has cast a pall over the world that not even motorcycle racing can escape. This week, MotoGP was canceled at Mugello and Barcelona.
Last week, it was MotoGP at Le Mans, the week before that, Jerez MotoGP and Assen WorldSBK. Each race is canceled as it heaves into view on the calendar.
So when will we be able to go racing again? I don’t know. You don’t know. The truth is, nobody knows, not even Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta or FIM president Jorge Viegas.
Because it is out of their hands. Organizing a world championship motorcycle race is complicated, and requires large numbers of people and equipment to cross multiple national borders using various modes of transport.