National Sports Council of Spain and Dorna working towards summer WorldSBK return
A proposal was made earlier this month to resume the season at Jerez on the weekend of July 31st – August 2nd
The National Sports Council of Spain (CSD) is working to secure the return of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship to the track this summer, depending on the evolution of the coronavirus pandemic and under the supervision of the Ministry of Health. This is the message that has been conveyed by Irene Lozano, President of the CSD, to Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of Dorna Sports, and Manuel Casado, President of the Royal Spanish Motorcycling Federation (RFME), in an hour-long video call.
“The Government understands how important motorcycle racing is for Spanish sport, how much value it holds within our society and the impact it has on the reputation of our country, not only on the sporting side, but also regarding innovation and the development of new technologies”, Lozano declared during the meeting.
The RFME and Dorna Sports are regular participants in the Working Group for the Promotion of Sport (GTID, a CSD-led project set up to tackle issues raised by the COVID-19 pandemic), and are working closely with the CSD to establish the correct health and transport protocols as soon as possible, a necessary step in order to guarantee the return of sporting events to Spain this summer, should the COVID-19 pandemic allow for them to take place.
Motorbike racing has a long and rich tradition in Spain. Three of the 13 events on the original 2020 WorldSBK calendar were set to take place at Spanish tracks: Jerez, MotorLand Aragon, and for the first time in WorldSBK history, the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The list of riders from the Mediterranean country that have succeeded in WorldSBK is equally impressive, ranging from current stars Álvaro Bautista, Xavi Fores and Jordi Torres to WorldSSP300 Champions Manuel González and Ana Carrasco, or 2011 WorldSBK Champion Carlos Checa.
