MotoGP will be moving to the Middle East for the first time next year after an agreement to host a round in Qatar was signed at the weekend.
MotoGP will be moving to the Middle East for the first time next year after an agreement to host a round in Qatar was signed at the weekend.
It was signed by Naser Bin Khalifa Al-Ateiah, President of the Qatar Motor & Motorcycle Federation, and Carmelo Ezpeleta, chief executive of Dorna.
The first race is scheduled for next year, with the agreement signed for five years, on condition all the contractual requirements are fulfilled by the Qatar promoters.
It is also subject to a final homologation by the Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) of the racetrack that will be built close to Doha in the next few months. It is not known yet if an existing race will be cancelled.
“We are really happy to have signed this contract,” said Al-Ateiah. “It is the first time in the Middle East that we will welcome this famous sport. A lot of people (in Qatar) love motorcycles and use them on the roads so it will be great for them to have a circuit to enjoy.”