Barcelona agrees to resurfacing to save place on MotoGP calendar

The creation of a new chicane after the tragic accident in which Moto2 rider Luis Salom lost his life in 2016 ended up being a controversial topic during last month's Catalan Grand Prix, along with the age of the asphalt, which hasn't been resurfaced since 2007. 

Most of the riders, led by Valentino Rossi, stood firm during Friday evening's Safety Commission meeting at Barcelona, and pushed the track not to use the chicane that been expressly built for the race. In the end, riders used the homologated Formula 1 layout on Saturday and on Sunday.

KTM rider Bradley Smith said post-race that Barcelona should be given an ultimatum to undergo a resurfacing or face being dropped next year, as the asphalt's grip levels had become dangerously low.

And last week, Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta admitted there was the possibility of excluding Barcelona from the 2018 calendar in case it didn't make the necessary modifications, even though it has a valid contract.

“If Catalunya remains on our calendar, we will have 19 races, and if not, 18,” Ezpeleta told Spanish newspaper AS, referring to the likely inclusion of Thailand on the 2018 schedule.

Having heard that, Barcelona circuit bosses are already working hard to guarantee the continuity of the Grand Prix, which has been held uninterrupted since 1995.

They have agreed to push forward plans to resurface the track by a year, after the two venues with newly relaid asphalt for this season - Le Mans and Sachsenring - were met with rave reviews from riders.

On top of that, the run-off area at Turn 12, where Salom was killed, will be increased by moving the grandstand towards the final corner. The tarmac apron will also be replaced by gravel. 

“We’ve been working for one and a half years, trying to find the resources to resurface the track for the 2018-2019 financial period, and now what we want to do is to advance this by one year," Barcelona circuit boss Joan Fontsere told Motorsport.com.

"For Turn 12, our main intention is to keep the original layout [without the chicane]. We want to move the grandstand downwards in order to increase the run-off area.

“Our plan will be the same as what we did with the chicane: first we will send it to Dorna, then to the Safety Commission and last but not least, to the FIM, which is in charge of the homologation."

Jerez set for new MotoGP deal

Meanwhile, Jerez is set to stay on the MotoGP calendar for a further three years after agreeing to a resurfacing of its own, having been another track to come under fire for its low grip levels this year.

It means next year's schedule will likely again include four Spanish rounds, despite some speculation that the inclusion of Thailand could lead to one of them being axed.

Translation by Irene Aneas