Jerez MotoGP round officially postponed

As expected, the opening round of the 2020 MotoGP World Championship has been pushed back further after Dorna and FIM postponed the Spanish round at Jerez.

The event was installed as the de facto season opener for the MotoGP class after the first four rounds – Qatar, Thailand, USA and Argentina – were postponed due to the coronavirus, but few expected the May 1-3 round to go ahead amid the widening spread of COVID-19.

Indeed, Spain has emerged as one of the hardest hit nations with more than 3,500 deaths from the disease, placing it second only to Italy in terms of global death toll.

As it stands, the round has been postponed but not rearranged as Dorna and FIM face an increasing scheduling headache in a crowded calendar that is already now heavily weighted during the second half of the year.

“The FIM, IRTA and Dorna Sports regret to announce the postponement of the Red Bull Gran Premio de España, which was set to be held at the Circuito de Jerez-Angel Nieto from the 1st to the 3rd of May. The ongoing coronavirus outbreak has obliged the event to be rescheduled.

“As the situation remains in a state of constant evolution, a new date for the Spanish GP cannot be confirmed until it becomes clearer when exactly it will be possible to hold the event. A revised calendar will be published as soon as available.”

The event, which was also set to act as the opener for the MotoE class, is unlikely to be the last round to be moved or cancelled.

The following rounds take place in France and Italy, which currently have strict measures in place regarding movement and gatherings which are likely to extend beyond the May dates those rounds are scheduled for.

2020 MotoGP Provisional Calendar (as of 26/3/2020)