The Kazakhstan Grand Prix, initially postponed, has been permanently canceled and replaced with a second round in Qatar.
“It’s not going to happen,” as some might say. The 2024 Kazakhstan Grand Prix was scheduled from July 14 to 16 but was postponed in May due to severe flooding in the country. Initially, it was rescheduled to fill the gap left by the Indian Grand Prix, set for the weekend of September 20-22, after the race at Buddh International Circuit was canceled due to the local promoter’s failure to meet commitments.
However, the final decision to cancel the race has now been made: it appears a second round in Qatar will be inserted instead.
The race at the Sokol Circuit has been in doubt since it was added to the calendar. Originally, the event was supposed to debut last year, but its cancellation was announced shortly after the season began because construction at the facility, just outside the city of Almaty, was not progressing as scheduled.
The decision to cancel seems to be due to the lack of guarantees from local organizers and the fact that the circuit is located in a remote area without the necessary infrastructure to accommodate the expected thousands of spectators.
This decision comes despite Dorna’s efforts over the past few months, during which they sent regular contingents to accelerate all pending work.
MotoGP in Turmoil: Third Race Canceled
This is the third race of 2024 to be canceled after India and Argentina, although the total number of rounds will remain at 20.
Dorna Sports, along with other event organizers, appears to have opted for a second visit to Qatar, which opened this year’s calendar.
This will be the second time in MotoGP history that Qatar will host two events in the same calendar year.
In 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, MotoGP started the season with two consecutive events in Losail: the Qatar GP and the Doha GP.
This second 2024 race at the Losail Circuit will kick off a frenetic Asian tour, starting from Doha, from September 20 to 22, followed by Indonesia from September 27 to 29, and Japan from October 4 to 6. Then there will be another triple-header in Australia from October 18 to 20, Thailand from October 25 to 27, and Malaysia from November 1 to 3.
The season will conclude two weeks later in Valencia, on the weekend of November 15-17.
Photo: MotoGP
