MotoGP finale switched to Catalunya following cancellation of Valencia race after floods disaster

At least 202 people have died following devastating floods in the Valencia region after torrential rain.

The decision not to press ahead with plans to host the finale in Valencia was taken by promoters Dorna on Friday evening.

In a statement, the organisers said: “In lieu of racing in Valencia, MotoGP will instead race for Valencia.

“The championship will put our collective efforts behind backing the relief funds already in place to ensure our positive impact can connect with the area in the way it best serves the people and communities we have been part of for so long.”

A number of riders, including reigning MotoGP world champion Francesco Bagnaia, had pledged not to participate if the final round was held at the Ricardo Tormo circuit in the wake of the disaster.

Italian star Bagnaia said it would have been the wrong choice to race in Valencia “on an ethical level” and was willing to effectively forfeit his chance of winning retaining his world crown.

The Ducati rider cut Jorge Martin’s the lead in the championship to 24 points after winning the Malaysian Grand Prix on Sunday by three seconds, with Martin claiming the runner-up spot on the Pramac Ducati ahead of Bagnaia’s Lenovo Ducati team-mate Enea Bastianini.

The title-decider will no go ahead on November 17 at Catalunya, where the sixth round of the championship was held in May.

“We thought it was important to tell the riders before they went out on track yesterday, especially those in contention for positions, to confirm that there would be another event on the calendar,” Dorna’s Chief Sporting Officer Carlos Ezpeleta said on Sunday morning.

“It’s been a very challenging couple of days, much more so for the community of Valencia of course, but we think that – given the situation the Championship is in, sporting wise, but also for fans across the world – we thought it was important to hold a final event of the season. We owe that to the paddock and our fans.

“We have been looking at all the possibilities we had, it’s very challenging to organise an event in two weeks, but during the last 48 hours we’ve looked at all possible alternatives and we think that Barcelona is the best possible place given the proximity to Valencia, given that a lot of people were already travelling through to get to the finale, and especially for fans – we think it’s the best possible place for them.

“We also know we will be able to help the community of Valencia from that location as well.

“That’s why we’ve requested the Government of Catalunya to be able to hold the event there. They want to communicate and align themselves with both the Government of Spain and that of Valencia before confirming the event, and we hope that confirmation comes in the next 48 hours.

“But the urgency right now is Valencia – not confirming our GP. It’s something we can wait for and once it’s confirmed we’ll start working as hard as possible, as it’s definitely a challenge but we think there’s a lot of good we can do and we feel owe it to our fans.”