British and Australian MotoGP races cancelled

LONDON: This year’s British and Australian MotoGP races have both been cancelled due to the global coronavirus pandemic.

The British Grand Prix was scheduled for Silverstone on Aug 30 while the Australian round had been due at Phillip Island on Oct 25.

The season is yet to get underway after the season-opening Qatar Grand Prix was cancelled in March as the novel coronavirus outbreak shut down world sport.

Races in Germany, Finland and Holland which were to be held in June-July were also removed from the revised calendar.

“We’re saddened to have to announce the cancellation of these iconic events after finding no way through the logistical and operational issues resulting from the pandemic and rearranged calendar,” Carmelo Ezpeleta, chief executive of the commercial rights holder Dorna, said in a statement yesterday.

Silverstone managing director Stuart Pringle said they had no choice but to cancel the event despite putting in “months of work behind the scenes” to ensure it went ahead.

“Logistical restrictions under the current situation, combined with a shortened and rearranged MotoGP calendar has caused the cancellation of the event,” Pringle said in a statement.

Australia is yet to open its international borders while people travelling to the United Kingdom must be quarantined for two weeks upon arrival.

Grand Prix races in Spain, France, Italy and Catalunya were postponed until later this year.

Earlier this month, MotoGP had proposed starting the season with two races on consecutive weekends in July at the Jerez circuit in southern Spain, with the government yet to approve the proposal.