The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Spain will continue to stage a round of the MotoGP World Championship until at least 2021, after the Minister of Business and Knowledge of the Generalitat de Catalunya, Jordi Baiget, agreed a new deal with MotoGP’s commercial rights holder Dorna Sports.
The Spanish venue has been a part of the World Championship’s schedule since 1992. From then through to 1995, the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya staged the European Grand Prix, becoming the site of the Catalan Grand Prix from 1996 onwards.
Always a hugely popular event with the fans and the riders alike, Mr Baiget highlighted the event’s importance to the region.
“To have renewed this contract is very significant for us, due to the economic movement and the jobs it will help generate,” he said. “The investment in the Grand Prix at the circuit reinforces Montmelo as a hub of economic growth. It also established the area as a powerhouse for the automotive industry, something that has always been very important in the region.”
Dorna Sports CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta added: “Without a doubt, the renewal of the contract with the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya until 2021 is fantastic news for MotoGP and all the fans. It is an institution that has been tied to us since the beginning of 1992, and its commitment to our sport and its dedication could not be clearer.
“The team that manages and drives the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya and its modern facilities has long since consolidated it as one of the permanent fixtures in the MotoGP calendar, which it now cannot do without. The fact that Catalonia has secured MotoGP until 2021 shows that the trust and alliance between both parties is extremely strong.”
The Spanish venue is just one in a long list of circuits on the current calendar that has had it contract with Dorna Sports extended this year: Phillip Island, Aragon, Misano, Sachsenring, Brno, Assen, Ricardo Tormo and Termas de Rio Hondo, as well as Catalunya, will all play host to MotoGP until at least 2019.
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