Sports
08:35, 29-Aug-2017
Thailand set to host MotoGP in 2018
["other","Southeast Asia"]
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Thailand is set to host a round of the MotoGP world championship for the first time in 2018 with a three-year contract due to be signed in Bangkok on Thursday, series organizers announced on Monday.
The official MotoGP.com website said that Carmelo Ezpeleta, chief executive of commercial rights holders Dorna Sports, would join Sakon Wannapong, the governor of the Sports Authority of Thailand, at the formal signing.
The race will be held at the Buriram circuit in the northeast of the country.
The track, which has previously hosted the world superbike (WSBK) championship in 2015, will be the first all-new addition to the series since Argentina’s Termas de Rio Hondo in 2014.
Chang International Circuit, a motorsport race track in Buriram, Thailand. /Photo via speedweek.com
Chang International Circuit, a motorsport race track in Buriram, Thailand. /Photo via speedweek.com
The Thai circuit has gained a notable success last year with 80,000 spectators, making it the most attended event on the WSBK calendar later year.
A draft 2018 MotoGP calendar confirming Thailand's inclusion is expected to be published in September.
Another circuit that is expected to debut in MotoGP soon in addition to Thailand is Finland, which goes ahead with the works of the Kymi Ring, a track that will host the Finnish Grand Prix from 2018 or 2019, depending on how the construction deadlines of the circuit.
(Top image credit to Autosport)
Source(s): Reuters