Breaking news
MotoGP
Thailand MotoGP race set to be cancelled
Thailand’s government has taken the decision to cancel the 2021 MotoGP race due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, according to reports in the country.
Lewis Duncan
Edited: Feb 3, 2021, 7:29 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Thailand was one of the first races to drop off the original 2020 calendar and never returned to the revised schedule as MotoGP promoters Dorna Sports opted to keep the series in Europe during the pandemic.
As much of the world grapples with a second wave of the virus, with new variants leading to a surge in infections, MotoGP has already postponed the US and Argentine GPs to an unspecified date later in the year.
Last week it also confirmed a second Qatar race had been added to the calendar, with the third round of the season now taking place in Portugal – while this month’s Sepang pre-season test was cancelled in January.
Other calendar alterations are anticipated, with the Bangkok Post reporting on Tuesday that the local authority has decided to delay the beginning of its new five-year MotoGP contract with Dorna to 2022.
No official declaration has been made about the cancellation of this year’s Thailand race, though Motorsport.com has reached out to Dorna for comment.
The current date for the Thailand GP is 10 October, backed with the Japanese GP at Motegi, while the Australia/Malaysia double-header is due to run from 24 October to 31 October.
However, cancellation of the Thailand race so early will undoubtedly raise concerns about the viability of those other flyaway races as the COVID situation remains in flux.
News of Thailand’s cancellation comes on the same day Brno confirmed it would not be staging a race in 2021 after failing to secure the necessary funds from the local authority to upgrade the track surface.
MotoGP’s original provisional calendar for 2021 did list the Algarve Circuit (which has now been deployed), Russia’s Igora Drive and the under-construction Mandalika Street Circuit in Indonesia as reserve tracks.
However, its latest version had removed Igora Drive from that list, while the date originally meant for the Czech GP had been scrubbed.
It was also announced on Tuesday that the pre-season tests for Moto2 and Moto3 will be moved from Jerez to Qatar on 19-21 March, ensuring all of the paddock will already be in the country ahead of the opening round.
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article MotoGP cancels Sepang pre-season test due to COVID-19
Next article Rins thought Brivio Suzuki exit was a joke
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Lewis Duncan
MotoGP 2025: Full rider line-up revealed
MotoGP
MotoGP
MotoGP 2025: Full rider line-up revealed
A year on from Marquez’s Germany MotoGP meltdown, has Honda improved?
MotoGP
MotoGP
German GP
A year on from Marquez’s Germany MotoGP meltdown, has Honda improved?
What’s behind MotoGP’s right-hander chaos in Germany practice?
MotoGP
MotoGP
German GP
What’s behind MotoGP’s right-hander chaos in Germany practice?
Latest news
Tim Clark wants NASCAR to be better storytellers to counter "brand perception problem"
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup 56 min
Tim Clark wants NASCAR to be better storytellers to counter "brand perception problem"
Why NASCAR's Zane Smith fine for Carson Hocevar contact was consistent
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Talladega II
1 h
Why NASCAR's Zane Smith fine for Carson Hocevar contact was consistent
Jimmie Johnson on the NASCAR business world: "It's a war"
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup 1 h
Jimmie Johnson on the NASCAR business world: "It's a war"
David Alonso lashes out at Dani Holgado: "When you’re not a good person, there’s nothing you can do"
Moto2
MOT2 Moto2
Phillip Island
1 h
David Alonso lashes out at Dani Holgado: "When you’re not a good person, there’s nothing you can do"
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe