Friday, November 1, 2024, 12:01
Logic has prevailed and there will be no Valencian Community Grand Prix. The DANA that has devastated everything in its path also affected part of the facilities of the Ricardo Tormo Circuit. The proximity of the event, planned for the weekend of November 16 and 17, and all the deployment that an event of this magnitude requires, among other things, of State Security Corps and Forces, discouraged its celebration. Consequently, the statement came this afternoon from the championship, where it was assured that a final round would be held, but on a route yet to be confirmed.
«We have been in constant contact with local authorities and the circuit to evaluate the best way to help and how to proceed. Our responsibility to each region where we compete goes far beyond sport and events. After carefully considering the positive impact that MotoGP’s presence in Valencia could have at a later date versus the need for no resources to be diverted from recovery efforts, the championship and local authorities have been forced to cancel the Valencia GP. 2024. Instead of competing in Valencia, MotoGP will compete for Valencia.
The championship will put its collective effort into supporting relief funds already established to ensure our positive impact connects with the region in a way that best serves the people and communities we have been a part of for so long. Our efforts will begin during the Malaysian GP and will continue in the final round of 2024, with a new venue and dates to be announced as soon as they are confirmed,” says the statement from the World Cup organizers.
Among the possible scenarios that are being considered, some of the Spanish circuits that already host a grand prix, such as Jerez, Aragón or Montmeló, and also Qatar, which will also host its Formula 1 grand prix on the first weekend of December. Likewise, it is being considered whether to hold the race on the same weekend that was planned in Valencia or to delay it a week, so that there is more margin.
The relieved pilots
After training this Friday, the MotoGP riders had met with those responsible for the championship’s safety. It was not an exceptional meeting, because this Safety Commission is held every Friday to talk about issues that have to do with the current grand prix, but the one in Malaysia was about the Valencia event. And there, the championship promoter, Dorna, already informed them of the decision minutes before making it official
In this sense, the main actors in the championship had been against racing in Valencia. And the most explicit of all was the current champion, Pecco Bagnaia, who spoke in these terms before learning of the official cancellation of the Valencia GP: «I hope you take into account that, on an ethical level and with what is happening, it is not It is not the right or fair situation. I am not willing to race in Valencia. even at the cost of losing the MotoGP title. Words that honor the Italian.
Another who spoke from the beginning about the ethical problem of running in Valencia was Marc Márquez, who continued his speech this Friday: «Raising the situation with what is being experienced, not only in the Valencian Community, in Spain in general, makes me It seems that ethically it is not correct. For me, the only option or the only sense that doing the Valencia GP would have would be to help those people. Helping is helped financially. If not, no help. And right now we help by putting all possible resources, everything that Spain has to help those families who, no matter how much they help, help little.”
