IN
THE
WIND
P24
WorldSBK Start Pushed Back Until May
T
he 2021 WorldSBK Cham-
pionship will not commence
until May following Dutch officials
dictating no large events will
be held in the Drenthe region,
where the Assen circuit is situ-
ated, until June 1. The first round
of 2021 will thus move to Portu-
gal at Estoril on May 7-9.
"Following the ongoing Co-
vid-19 pandemic and resulting
regulations, the FIM, government
officials, the TT Circuit Assen
and Dorna WSBK Organization
(DWO) informs of the postpone-
ment of the Dutch Round to the
23rd to the 25th of July," the FIM
said in a statement.
"As local authorities have
determined that no major events
may be held in Drenthe until
the 1st of June 2021, the Dutch
Round, initially scheduled from
the 23rd to the 25th of April,
will now take place at the end of
July.
"FIM and Dorna WSBK Orga-
nization are constantly working
with Government Officials and
Circuits in order to continue put-
ting the safety of everyone first.
Any further updates to the 2021
WorldSBK calendar will be com-
municated accordingly."
CN
Estoril will now host the season opener for WorldSBK.
Gresini In Grave
Condition
M
otoGP team owner Fausto Gresini's fight with
Covid-19 appears to have taken a turn for the
worse, as the Italian is reported to be heavily se-
dated with severe lung inflammation.
Speaking by his hospital bed at the Ospedale
Maggiore in Bologna, Italy, Gresini's son Lorenzo
said, "[There was] a sudden worsening of general
conditions that occurred in the night between Friday
(February 12) and Saturday. Now the situation is
stable and with sufficient values, Father has been
heavily sedated again. New therapies have been
started to combat the severe lung inflammation.
Updates will follow in the coming days."
CN
Fausto Gresini's Covid diagnosis has taken
a turn for the worse.
