KUALA LUMPUR, April 3 — The status of the 2020 Malaysia Motorcycle Grand Prix (Malaysian GP) at Sepang Circuit scheduled for November has yet to be decided.
Sepang International Circuit Sdn Bhd (SIC) chief executive officer Datuk Razlan Razali said it was due to the current development of Covid-19 pandemic worldwide, which made it difficult for MotoGP race rights holder, Dorna Sports in amending the race affected by the outbreak.
“SIC has been communicating with Dorna Sports at least twice a week during Covid-19 outbreak and it has been difficult for them to plan, due to global uncertainty and difficulties in determining what will happen in the future.
“But based on my discussions with Carmelo Ezpeleta (Dorna Sports CEO) two days ago, there are no plans to postpone the Malaysian GP but it depends on the current situation,” he told reporters in a teleconference, today.
Razlan noted that from the discussion with Dorna Sports, the 2020 season races could be held as early as August if Covid-19 is successfully brought under control.
According Razlan, Dorna Sports did not rule out the possibility of introducing a two-race weekend format with the aim of reducing the time frame to complete the race calendar for this season if it continues in August.
The first three races of the 2020 World Motorcycle Grand Prix, namely the Qatar GP, the Spanish GP and the French GP had to be postponed due to Covid-19.
Meanwhile, Razlan acknowledged that the increasing number of Covid-19 infections globally and the postponement of several races earlier this season have affected ticket sales for the Malaysian GP, which received encouraging response every year.
“There were no ticket sales since the Covid-19 outbreak, but I am confident the situation will improve,” he said.
Meanwhile, Razlan, who is also the principal for Petronas Yamaha Sepang Racing Team (SRT), said the sponsors are still with the team during this difficult time.
“This is unprecedented for everybody, not just for motorsports. We got hit badly, but thankfully Petronas is committed to continue their commitment this year. As of now, none of our sponsors are pulling out, they are still with us,” he said. — Bernama
