The MotoGP calendar continues to expand. Today, Dorna announced in an unusually brief press release that the Sokol International Circuit, 50 kilometers northeast of Almaty in Kazakhstan, will be added to the 2023 MotoGP calendar in five years’ time.
The Kazakhstan track is still under construction, so will have to face similarities and safety checks before the race is confirmed to take place in 2023.
Race in Kazakhstan will take the place vacated by Kymiring is now defunct in Finlandwhich failed because their business collapsed when Russia invaded Ukraine.
That means it will be held in July, two weeks after the Dutch TT in Assen, and three weeks before the series resumes at Silverstone. Its inclusion will bring the calendar up to 21 races. The calendar will be published later this week.
The reason for coming to Kazakhstan is simple: it opens up a new market for MotoGP in Central Asia and the fact is the country is an autocracy Based on oil wealth means that unlike Finland, money to complete a circuit and pay the fees required by Dorna is not an issue.
Last week, Dorna also announced that work is underway to bring a race to India.
Although Indian sources report that a Memorandum of Understanding has been signed with the promotion company, Fairstreet Sports, Dorna’s press release is careful not to mention signed agreements or contracts.
Dorna has also previously signed Memorandum of Understanding with circuits in Hungary, Saudi Arabia and Circuit of Wales.
However, India was a territory that Dorna was keen to conquer. A huge market, both in terms of viewership and motorcycle sales, having a race in the country would be a huge driver for the series.
The race is currently scheduled to be held at the Buddh International Circuit, not far from New Delhi, if it happens.
In the past, customs and local tax issues have made it difficult to organize a race in India. When F1 took place in India, local authorities classified the event as entertainment rather than sport, subject to hefty import duties.
That also caused the cancellation of WorldSBK’s proposed round there. MotoGP will only be able to race in India if those issues have been resolved. Paddock’s sources tell me there are plenty of other problems to fix.
Although Indian media have suggested that a race could be held as early as 2023, that will not happen.
The earliest India could join MotoGP would be 2024, when a major schedule change is expected, including a cut in the number of races held on the Iberian peninsula.
Italy could also lose a race, if attendance figures continue to be as impressive in 2023 as it was in 2024. Saudi Arabia will now join the calendar as well from 2024, with other nations also interested in joining the race. host races.
On the face of it, MotoGP is set to make a move eastward, out of Europe and into the Middle East and Asia.
