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Coronavirus causes classic race on MotoGP calendar to be cancelled

Coronavirus causes classic race on MotoGP calendar to be cancelled

02-02-2021 15:38 Last update: 18:06

GPblog.com

The racing calendars of the various racing classes for 2021 are all still very uncertain. In Formula 1, the Australian Grand Prix has already been postponed and other races are still in doubt. In MotoGP, the consequences may be even greater, Motorsport.com report.

One of the classics has been forced from the 2021 calendar. There was already uncertainty about the Czech Grand Prix in Brno, but Dorna kept a spot reserved on their provisional calendar. That reservation has now disappeared too and a lack of funds is a major reason for that.

Nobody wants to pay the ticket

After many complaints from the drivers last season, the circuit needs a new layer of tarmac. Behind the scenes, a conflict arose about who should pay for it. Because it generates only a fraction of its revenue during the coronavirus pandemic, the circuit is not planning on raising the funds and it will not get any support from the Czech government either.

"No sporting or cultural event of global proportions can go ahead at the moment without getting help from the government," Ivana Ulmanova, the circuit director of the Automorodrom Brno, is quoted as saying.

The disappearance of Brno is a major setback for MotoGP. Since the late 1940s, races have been held around the current circuit. Since 1987 there has been an almost continuous run at the current track, which at the time was one of the most modern tracks in the world.