Donington Park round of World Superbike Championship postponed, British MotoGP at Silverstone cancelled

The news on Friday comes after the British MotoGP round scheduled to take place at Silverstone from August 28-30 was cancelled.

In a statement, World Superbike organisers Dorna said it was hoped the season would resume at Jerez in Spain from July 31 to August 2, with the next round at Portimao in Portugal pencilled in the following weekend from August 7-9.

The season would then revert to the current provisional schedule, returning to Spain at Motorland Aragon from August 28-30.

Dorna said in a statement: ‘The health of everybody is at the forefront of decision making and these rounds within the Iberian Peninsula are planned to be held behind closed doors, in-line with social distancing measures and medical guidelines set by the Spanish and Portuguese governments.

‘Nevertheless, the situation is evolving, and we will adapt our protocols to the situation of the time’.

In addition to the British round, the Dutch round at Assen – already postponed once from April 17-19 until August 21-23 – has also been pushed back indefinitely.

The only racing that has taken place so far was at the first round of the season at Phillip Island in Australia at the beginning of March.

Friday’s statement on the current World Superbike calendar said racing would only go ahead if health and safety was not compromised. Racing will also be held behind closed doors, with social distancing restrictions in place.

The statement added: ‘The British and Dutch Rounds held at Donington Park and TT Circuit Assen respectively, have been postponed. The Dutch round itself has already been rescheduled once, from the 17th – 19th of April to the 21st – 23rd of August.

‘However, new plans are underway with the best interests in mind, given the current restrictions in place that affect major sporting events within both the UK and the Netherlands. Further updates for the end season calendar will be communicated soon in order to further clarify the calendar situation.

‘The FIM and Dorna WSBK Organization is evaluating the different scenarios and adapting to each situation in each of the countries we should visit on a day-by-day basis. Our gratitude once again goes to all parties involved within the WorldSBK fraternity for their continued support.

‘However, whichever decision is reached will have the health and safety at the forefront and that is something simply uncompromisable during these challenging times’.

Reigning five-time World Superbike champion Jonathan Rea is currently fourth in the standings after the first three races of 2020 at Phillip Island. His Kawasaki team-mate, Alex Lowes – who has signed a new deal with KRT for 2021 – leads the way by 12 points from Ducati’s Scott Redding.

Meanwhile, the British and Australian MotoGP rounds at Silverstone (August 28-30) and Phillip Island (October 23-25) respectively have been cancelled.

Stuart Pringle, Silverstone Managing Director, said: “We are extremely disappointed about the cancellation of the British MotoGP event, not least as the cancelled race in 2018 is still such a recent memory, but we support the decision that has had to be taken at this exception time.

“I want to thank the stoic British fans for their patience and support. We must now look forward to 2021, when Silverstone will once again host the fastest and most historic MotoGP race on the calendar and work hard to make it an exceptional event for all to enjoy.”

* A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to newsletter.co.uk and enjoy unlimited access to the best Northern Irish and UK news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than five articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. To subscribe, click here.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Thank you,

Alistair Bushe

Editor