Renovations begin at Goiania after MotoGP's troublesome Brazilian GP

After the problems that arose during the MotoGP Brazilian Grand Prix in March, the Sports and Leisure Secretariat of the Government of Goias have revealed that the asphalt work at the Ayrton Senna International Circuit will begin this week, which should keep the track closed for about 35 days.

In March, MotoGP returned to Brazil for the first time in more than two decades, with the premier class returning to Goiania after almost 40 years. But this comeback ended up being struck by chaos caused by surface-related problems. Goiania was hit by heavy rain in the week before the event, well above the average for the month, which led to numerous headaches with the asphalt.

It all started on Saturday, with the appearance of a hole on the main straight. Fortunately, this was outside the ideal racing line and could be repaired, which allowed the sprint race to go ahead with a delay of about 90 minutes.

But the bigger problems came on Sunday. Besides complaints about the undulations at Turn 4, the asphalt at Turns 10 and 11 began crumbling, creating a dangerous situation for the riders, with loose stones flying and hitting them at high speed.

Amid the problems and criticism, the Government of Goias, race organisation and the FIM confirmed that new works would be carried out at the track to prevent a recurrence of this problem. But the duration of the renovation has already impacted the Brazilian motorsport calendar, with the Porsche Cup announcing the postponement of its race, scheduled for the end of April.

Hole on the start/finish straight

Photo by: German Garcia

Motorsport.com contacted the Goias Sports and Leisure Secretariat, which confirmed in a statement that the works were to begin on Monday 6 April, with an expected duration of three days. To prevent a repeat of the MotoGP incident, the asphalt will undergo a 30-day curing period, which will keep the track closed until approximately 10 May.

If this schedule is met, it should not affect the Stock Car and Moto1000GP races scheduled at the Goiania racetrack on 17 May and 24 May respectively. In a conversation with Motorsport.com, the Moto1000GP organisation stated that it was not informed by the Government of Goias about potential delays in the work and that, at the moment, it maintains the original date of the race.

Full statement from the Goias Sports and Leisure Secretariat

After the Goias MotoGP Grand Prix 2026, specific points of the circuit requiring punctual repairs were identified, mainly due to climatic factors. The work will begin this Monday [6 April], with an estimated duration of up to three days. Following this, a curing period of up to 30 days will be necessary for the new asphalt layer applied to the repaired sections. The racetrack will be fully ready to host all scheduled competitions starting in May.