The start of the 2020 season for the premier class in MotoGP has been pushed until at least mid-June by two postponements announced Tuesday morning.
The Italian GP, which had been scheduled for May 29-31, and the Catalunya Grand Prix, which was slated for June 5-7, will be rescheduled at dates to be determined.
The 2020 season currently would be scheduled to begin with the June 21 grand prix at Sachsenring, Germany, for the premier class, which has yet to hit the track. The Moto2 and Moto3 classes competed in the Grand Prix of Qatar last month before their seasons were put on hold.
MotoGP’s premier division’s first eight races of 2020 have been canceled or postponed: Qatar, Thailand, United States, Argentina, Spain, France, Italy and Catalunya.
The Thailand Grand Prix was moved from March 22 to Oct. 4. The Grand Prix of the Americas in Austin, Texas, was shifted from April 5 to Nov. 15. The Argentina Grand Prix moved from April 19 to Nov. 22. The rescheduled races also forced the season finale at Valencia, Spain, to move from Nov. 15 to Nov. 29.
A statement from MotoGP said “a revised calendar will be published as soon as available.”
Unfortunately, due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, both the #ItalianGP and the #CatalanGP have been postponed
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) April 7, 2020
Full details in the article below 👇#MotoGP | 📰 https://t.co/BK3bUUCdAu
Here’s the statement Tuesday from MotoGP:
The FIM, IRTA and Dorna Sports regret to announce the postponement of the Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley and Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya, which were set to be held at the Autodromo del Mugello from the 29th to the 31st of May and at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya from the 5th to the 7th of June, respectively. The ongoing coronavirus outbreak has obliged the two events to be rescheduled.
As the situation remains in a state of constant evolution, new dates for these Grands Prix, as well as the recently-postponed French and Spanish GPs, cannot be confirmed until it becomes clearer when exactly it will be possible to hold the events. A revised calendar will be published as soon as available.