PARIS: The beginning of the MotoGP season has been pushed back to June 21 at the most punctual after coordinators on Tuesday delayed the Italian and Catalan Grands Prix races due to the coronavirus.
The Italian MotoGP was scheduled for May 31 with Catalunya fixed for June 7, yet both have been pushed back with no new date. A week ago organizers deferred the May 17 French MotoGP after already canceling the Spanish event set for May 3.
The choice tallied the number of delayed races to seven, while the March 8 initial round in Qatar was dropped.
The following three legs of the 2020 schedule in Thailand, Texas and Argentina have all been placed aside briefly, with Dorna, the series advertiser, planning to run them in the second 50% of a season which has been reached out for about fourteen days to November 29.
Italy and Spain, where a greater part of the riders and groups originate from, are the two European nations struck the most by the infection, with in excess of 16,000 passings in Italy and 13,000 in Spain.
“The FIM, IRTA and Dorna Sports regret to declare the delay of the Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley and Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya,” MotoGP said in an announcement.
“The progressing coronavirus episode has obliged the two occasions to be rescheduled. As the circumstance stays in a condition of consistent development, new dates for these GPs just as the as of late deferred French and Spanish GPs, can’t be affirmed until it becomes more clear when precisely it will be possible to hold the occasions.”
MotoGP included that an amended schedule will be distributed “when accessible.”
The first race of the season is currently booked for Germany on June 21.