MotoGP announces postponement of the Kazakhstan GP due to flooding, as Assen extends deal to host Dutch GP until 2031.
Kazakhstan –
The FIM, IRTA and Dorna Sports announce that the Grand Prix of Kazakhstan has been postponed until later in 2024. Unprecedented weather conditions have led to flooding across Central Asia, causing a national emergency in Kazakhstan and displacing much of the population.
It would not be responsible for MotoGP to add any additional burden on the authorities or services as they work to help the tens of thousands of people affected across the country. Sokol International Racetrack will therefore not host MotoGP on the dates previously announced, and any further updates will be published once confirmed.
As our utmost priority, MotoGP sends our condolences and support to the people of Kazakhstan and all those affected by the flooding in Central Asia. We hope the nation, region and communities affected can recover as soon as possible.
Assen –
A new agreement between MotoGP and the TT Circuit Assen confirms the classic Dutch venue on the MotoGP calendar until 2031, extending its previous agreement that ran until 2026. Assen is a fan favourite thanks to its incredible layout, fantastic atmosphere and unique final chicane, the latter of which has been the stage for many of the sport’s most iconic moments, then and now.
It’s also MotoGP’s longest-serving venue, having hosted Grand Prix motorcycle racing since the inaugural 1949 season – a unique feat on the modern calendar. 2025 will be another milestone year as Assen celebrates the centenary of the very first TT. Nearly a century after the event began and 75 years since Grand Prix racing first visited the area, the permanent TT Circuit Assen of today only continues to build its legend, maintaining the spirit that fuelled its origins but reimagining it into a modern, safe and spectacular racetrack.
Arjan Bos, Chairman of TT Circuit Assen: “We are incredibly pleased with this contract extension, especially now that MotoGP is developing strongly. It reaffirms the status of the TT Assen as a highlight on the MotoGP calendar. We are proud to continue building the future of motorsport together.”
Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of MotoGP rights holder Dorna Sports: “We’re very happy to announce Assen’s long-term future on the calendar. It was part of the very first season of Grand Prix racing in 1949 and nowhere else has been with us across these 75 years of racing we celebrate in 2024. That’s unique, but we don’t return only for the history or statistics.
“Racing at Assen, even 100 years after the first races held in the area, is still something special and it only gets better. It’s a fantastic, modern venue that continues to gives us incredible races and iconic moments, and there is no better mixture than the world’s most exciting sport racing at one of its greatest venues.”
[Note: The story is as per press release]