Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1543956
MotoGP Confirms New Date For The Qatar Grand Prix M otoGP confirms that the Qatar Grand Prix, originally scheduled for April 10-12, has been postponed to November 8 due to the ongoing geopolitical situation in the Middle East. This decision has been taken in close coordination with the FIM, the promoter and the local au - thorities in Qatar, with the primary objective of ensuring the safety, well-being, and highest-quality delivery of the event for all partici - pants and attendees. Following extensive scenario planning and calendar analysis, the revised date has been chosen to ensure minimal disruption to the wider MotoGP schedule. As a result, the Portuguese GP in Portimao will now take place on November 22, and the season finale in Valencia will move to No - vember 29, while all other rounds of the 2026 MotoGP World Cham- pionship remain unaffected. Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of MotoGP, said, "This decision was taken with great care and in full coordination with our partners in Qatar and across the paddock. Our priority is always the safety and well-being of everyone involved in MotoGP, as well as ensuring that every Grand Prix is delivered to the highest possible standard. We also recognize the importance of providing clarity for our fans as early as possible, and ticket holders will be given the opportunity to roll over their tickets to the next event. "We are confident that the updated schedule will allow us to preserve the quality of the championship while offering fans an exceptional season of racing." CN WIND IN THE P20 The April round of the Qatar MotoGP has been postponed to November 8. MotoGP Seeking to Expand American Presence M otoGP has "a lot of work to do" in the USA, with hopes of running a second GP in the States described as a "long way out" by MotoGP's Sporting Direc- tor, Carlos Ezpeleta. Ezpeleta is aware that the se- ries must do more to grow in the world's biggest economy. New owners, Liberty Media, have ex- panded Formula One's presence in the country to three races, with the Las Vegas GP now the series' flagship event. While Ezpeleta acknowledges there should be fewer races in Spain and Italy in future years, MotoGP is by no means close to securing a second U.S. GP. "In respect to the U.S., right now there is only one track in the whole country that is homologat - ed for MotoGP use," Ezpeleta told assembled media in Thailand. "I think we have a lot of work to do. Expanding our footprint in the U.S. will be interesting. We are speaking to a number of possi - bilities for tracks, but again, it is a long way out. "We have 22 events. We will not have more than 22 events, and we do have space because we are over-indexed in Spain and over-indexed in Europe in gen - eral, but at one point, you have to start speaking about very impor- tant tracks. We have to see how things develop." Neil Morrison Having only one track homologated for MotoGP use in America is hurting its chances of having more than one GP event per season, but hopes are high of expanding that in the coming years under new owners, Liberty Media.