The 2020 edition of the Italian MotoGP event at Mugello has been officially cancelled the FIM have announced, having initially been postponed earlier this year due to Covid-19.
The race was originally scheduled to go ahead on the 29th of May weekend, but was put on hold in early April as the threat of Covid-19 spread across the globe, forcing Italy into a severe lockdown.
Several early season events have been re-scheduled for later in the year, but the popular Italian contest becomes the eighth race to be cancelled following the recent news of the British, Australian and Japanese rounds also deferring to next season.
In a statement released on Wednesday afternoon, Mugello circuit CEO director Paulo Poli outlined that uncertainty regarding the possibilities of allowing fans to attend the event were key in the failure to find a new date, but reaffirmed Mugello’s intention to run the race as planned in ’21.
“Despite the communal effort made to find a practical solution, the impossibility of staging an event that is open to spectators, as well as the difficulties that have arisen from this exceptional situation, have not allowed us to find a new date for the Italian Grand Prix,” said Poli.
“I would like to thank all of our fans who have supported and encouraged us during these months, and invite them back to Mugello in 2021 for what will be, as always, one of the most iconic events of the season.”
The loss of the ’20 Italian contest marks the first time Mugello will be absent from the MotoGP calendar in nearly 30 years, having been a permanent fixture on the schedule since 1991.
2020 will also be the first time the Italian GP will not feature at all in the premier class circus since 1949, with venues such as Monza, Misano and Imola having hosted the prestigious event prior to Mugello.
