MOTOGP SEASON TO CONCLUDE AT PORTIMAO

MotoGP season to conclude at Portimao – Photo: LAT

It has been confirmed that the 2020 MotoGP season will conclude at Autodromo Internacional do Algarve in Portugal.

By DAN McCARTHY

The picturesque Portuguese Portimao circuit will conclude the FIM MotoGP World Championship in 2020 with the round set to take place from November 20-22, the week following the Valencia double header.

Portimao famed for its elevation changes has never hosted a round of MotoGP and later this year will also hold its maiden Formula 1 race.

The venue which plays host to the FIM World Superbike Championship annually has been listed as the reserve track for MotoGP since 2017.

“It is a great achievement for our team to finally have MotoGP at our racetrack,” said Autodromo Internacional do Algarve CEO Paulo Pinheiro.

“MotoGP is the pinnacle of two-wheeled motorsport, and we are so excited to have it.

“It has been a long process with Dorna, we had an agreement in place since 2017, and finally all the hard work paid off.”

It will be the first time that Portugal has hosted a round of MotoGP since 2012 at the Circuito do Estoril.

This coupled with the fact that there will be a Portuguese rider on the grid, Red Bull KTM Tech 3 competitor Miguel Oliveira, is great for Portuguese motorcycle fans that may be able to attend the event

“On top of this to have Miguel Oliveira on the MotoGP grid, being able to fight for the podium will be an amazing add on for this race, and hopefully the Championship will be decided here,” Pinheiro said.

“We are working to have the fans in our race, and we will start with a capacity of 30.000 fans for the race weekend and then we will decide with Dorna and the sanitary authorities the following stages. We can’t express how happy we are to have this race.”

Dorna Sports CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta explained that the track will be resurfaced ahead of the MotoGP round in November, and that everyone in the MotoGP paddock is looking forward to the new race.

“We’ve been to Portimao with Superbike and we think it’s an amazing possibility for us, and also in the agreement is that the track will be resurfaced after,” Ezpeleta said.

“When we explained this to the riders, they were excited because they’ve seen the track on TV, but we’ve never been there.

“Portugal has a long history in our sport and there have been some historic battles in Estoril. It’s something very good for us to have the possibility to go back to Portugal.

“We are extremely happy to be racing in Portimao at the end of the year.”

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