MotoGP owners Dorna Sports are considering the idea of staging a MotoGP event on closed city streets in the future, with plans for such a race already taking shape.
CEO of Dorna Carmelo Ezpeleta said in an interview with Spanish publication Expansion that the proposed urban street grand prix project, to be held in an as-of-yet unnamed “warm city”, is “solid", with the Spaniard outlining his idea for where the main straight and paddock would be situated.
“It is possible that there is an urban circuit in MotoGP," Ezpeleta said. There is a solid project in a warm city.
“In theory, the main straight of the track would be held on a street and the paddock would be covered, integrated in an exhibition centre.
“For the grand prix weekend it will be used for the race, and many other things during the rest of the year.”
Currently, the only international motorcycle racing event to be staged on closed city streets is the Macau Grand Prix, though no grand prix riders or machinery contest the event anymore.
The 2018 MotoGP season is set to be the longest in the series' near 70-year history, with the addition of a race in Thailand – to be staged at the Chang International Circuit in Buriram – nudging the number of races up to 19.
A Finnish Grand Prix has been mooted for 2019, though financial troubles of late with the KymiRing could see another event take its place.
In the same interview, Ezpeleta revealed that at least eight countries have been in contact about potentially holding a race, though he remains adamant that the calendar will not exceed 20 events.
“Right now there is a list of about eight countries that would choose to have a championship round, but we cannot do 26 races,” he explained.
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