
FIM and Dorna with the expected calendar change
We remember very well when the first provisional plan for the 2021 season was published two and a half months ago. First you scratched your head in our reaction and then shortly afterwards the keys of our computers rattled. MotoGP’s first change of plan for FIM and Dorna’s 2021 calendar was predictable. Because at the beginning of the season opener in Qatar, Argentina and Texas, three particularly “hot irons” were brought into play. Actually completely pointless in view of the still prevailing travel problems due to Covid-19 and the mutations to be expected. But practically all motorsport portals and magazines took over the “fair weather calendar” created at the beginning of November one-to-one and presented it to their readers without criticism, while we made it clear from the start: Such a plan was absolutely unrealistic.

Double race in Losail and, as predicted, Portugal after that
We had also seen a round in Qatar with skepticism, but of course existing contracts had to be kept. Since the desert state wants to host the soccer World Cup next year, the local authorities have managed to grant an exception. Here is the current status, which currently applies to “ordinary people”: “The international airport of Doha (HIA) is closed to entry until further notice. Foreign nationals who have a Qatar residence permit (Qatar ID) are excluded.” This is proof that we always do very well-founded research before making any claims. Wild speculation is also not our thing, so we were spot on with the first lockdown in spring 2020. Our only forecast back then was in March that there would be no races before midsummer and we were spot on.

After the failure with the test calendar
It had been clear to us since the test plan was published that there would be no testing in Sepang. But even here we hardly read a critical word on either German or other language portals. Not so with us, we generally don’t like to buy a pig in a poke, even (or even more so since Covid-19) when something comes from FIM and Dorna. At the end of the day, we should be right about this, too, and the calendar received the correction we expected at the beginning of January. With the cancellation of test drives in Sepang, the teams also no longer had to travel to Malaysia.

MotoGP’s first change of plan for the 2021 calendar
In italics the changes and the event in Finland on the KymiRing, which is still unsafe due to the lack of homologation. Other endangered dates are Sachsenring and Assen, as well as all overseas races in October. There is currently no replacement for the canceled appointment on the Masaryk Ring near Brno, but as a precaution we left this space free. With a probability bordering on certainty, this second provisional plan is unlikely to be the final version.

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