New MotoGP Venue Has Race Date Pushed Back

A natural disaster in the region has forced MotoGP bosses to rethink travelling to the venue, and the race will now take place later in the season

Pol Espargaro, 2023 MotoGP Portuguese Grand Prix. - KTM/Rob Gray (Polarity Photo)

The MotoGP race due to be held at the Sokol International Racetrack, Kazakhstan, will no longer take place on the previously advised date, and will now occur later in the season.

The move to postpone the round has been taken due to extensive flooding in Central Asia after what MotoGP organiser Dorna describes as ‘unprecedented weather conditions’. The flooding has displaced much of the population in the region, and adding ‘additional burden on the authorities’ would be detrimental to the area, in Dorna’s eyes.

The race was due to take place at the Sokol International Racetrack from June 14 to 16, and while we know that it will not happen then anymore, we don’t yet know when it will take place. The calendar this year includes 42 races including sprints and Grand Prix races, making it one of the busiest seasons in history. Trying to see where Dorna could squeeze in the postponed Kazakhstan round is difficult.