As MotoGP’s July start at Jerez draws ever closer, last week promoters Dorna Sports revealed the full revised calendar for the coronavirus-delayed 2020 season.
Dorna has put together a sensible 13-round calendar all based in Europe, with Jerez, Red Bull Ring, Misano, Aragon and Valencia holding two events.
The door has been left ajar for flyaway races in November after the final race in Valencia, though the season will go no later than 13 December and is capped at a maximum of 17 races (which includes the Moto2/Moto3 Qatar round).
PLUS: Why Espargaro signing isn’t a disaster for Alex Marquez
This new calendar, with several races taking place well outside of their normal slots, will pose its own problems, while the paddock’s strict guidelines on COVID-19 safety could hit the smaller Moto2 and Moto3 teams hard financially.
In the latest Tank Slappers podcast, host Lewis Duncan and Motorsport.com’s Global MotoGP Editor Oriol Puigdemont discuss the new calendar and what it will be like for fans, for the paddock, as well as for the media.
They also look at Aleix Espargaro’s recent re-signing with Aprilia for 2021 and what that says about where the project is currently at.