Talk about jinxed. The FIM, IRTA and MotoGP commercial rights holder Dorna Sports Monday announced the cancellation of the Grand Prix of Kazakhstan for a second time in 2024, and for the third since it was originally included on the calendar.
Per an official statement, “Operational and logistical issues arising from the earlier flooding across the region have rendered the event impossible to hold in 2024.”
Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli will instead host the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix from the 20th to the 22nd of September. Logistically, Misano was an easy choice for MotoGP organisers as the series is racing at at the same venue in the round prior from 6th to 8th September.
For the record, the Kazakhstan Grand Prix was set to debut in 2023 but was cancelled due to non completion of homologation works. When the event in Sokol was eventually set to make its bow in July, it had to be postponed due to flooding – the same flooding that has caused the latest cancellation.
As Blackbookmotorsport.com, notes: “It’s not a good look, though, for the series to have cancelled three of its races from the 2024 season. This will have caused much disruption for riders, teams and journalists, while sponsors will likely not be best pleased with a championship that cannot offer security with its scheduling. The chances of the Kazakhstan Grand Prix returning in the near future appear slim, but the series is working towards the race being a feature of schedules further down the line.”
It bears noting that the Indian Grand Prix was also taken off the 2024 calendar and postponed to “early 2025”, not because of logistical challenges, but because of payment issues.
For updated MotoGP 2024 calendar, click here…
