Andrew McLarney is an accredited MotoGP reporter with four years experience as a professional writer across the sports and video game industries. His experience as a K1 Premier League competitor evolved into a fascination with all forms of combat sport and eventually motorsport — with MotoGP becoming his primary focus. On top of that he is also an avid follower of MXGP and AMA Supercross/Motocross.
The first MotoGP race since 1989 to take place at the Ayrton Senna Autodrome in Goiania, Brazil is set to kick off this weekend, but the occasion could be marred by heavy downpours and thunderstorms.
Preliminary weather reports and forecasting in the area suggest that there could be significant rain on the Brazilian's festivities, particularly on Saturday and Sunday when the main action is scheduled to take place.
On Wednesday, the track was already flooded in Brazil, but photos suggest that it is equipped to deal with such challenging conditions, and most of the water has already drained.
The track will already be an unknown for the vast majority of the riders who are racing on it for the first time in their careers. The addition of rain or changing weather conditions could act to further shake things up and lead to more unpredictable results.
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Last season, there was only one major wet weather race in Le Mans at the French Grand Prix. The race gave us one of the most chaotic and memorable results of the season with Johann Zarco taking a famous home win.
The Brazilians could take a leaf out of the Indonesian's book as, when rain threatened to cancel the maiden Grand Prix in Mandalika back in 2022, the state government hired a weather shaman to banish the clouds - an act which was surprisingly successful.
Situated in Brazil's Goias region, the environment is largely a cerrado rather than rainforest ecology, however the area still experiences a rainy season which typically lasts until mid-April.
Either way, the Brazilian Grand Prix promises to deliver plenty of action and unpredictability. Marco Bezzecchi and Pedro Acosta will be hoping to continue their form from the opening round, but due to a vastly different layout, there is really no telling which bike will be favoured most.
Now, how is that for brilliantly working drainage! 🌧🇧🇷
Thirty minutes after a heavy rain shower left parts of the track flooded, most of the water is already gone again 👍
#MotoGP | 📷: @triolor & @teojose