The coronavirus outbreak has led to many postponements and cancellations to the 2020 motorcycle racing calendar, however, championship organisers from around the world have been busy putting plans in place to get the 2020 season underway.
Racing across the globe has already kicked off with Moto America kicking their season off behind closed doors at the Road America circuit. This morning British Superbike (BSB) bosses have announced a six weekend calendar running from August to October.
Simplified logistics mean that the series will not visit Assen, Cadwell Park, Knockhill or Thruxton this year but each round will feature three BSB races, rather than the usual two, giving 18 races in total, with no end of season showdown. The format will mean that the champion will be the rider who scores the most points over all 18 races, rather than the playoff system that has seen the title decided between the top six riders over the last three rounds since 2010.
The championship is likely to start with a test at Donington Park next month, with racing resuming on the weekend of 7-9 August at the same venue. The series will then visit Snetterton, Silverstone and Oulton Park, before returning to Donington ahead of a final round at Brands Hatch in mid October.
Some logistical changes will see no Friday morning running for BSB riders, but the support classes remain in place to give an action packed weekend for race fans. No decision appears to have been made as to whether or not spectators will be allowed in, but it is understood that championship bosses are hopeful that the events will not be behind closed doors. As in previous seasons, all rounds will be broadcast live on British Eurosport.
The full, provisional, calendar is:
| 7-9 August | Donington Park National |
| 21-23 August | Snetterton 300 |
| 4-6 September | Silverstone National |
| 18-20 September | Oulton Park |
| 2-4 October | Donington Park GP |
| 16-18 October | Brands Hatch GP |
When will MotoGP return?
MotoGP riders have been seen returning to motorcycle action, with Andorra opening their circuit up for professional athletes, Valentino Rossi and his VR46 academy returning to the Misano World circuit on their Yamaha R6 and R1s and the Marquez brothers getting some motocross in.
The FIM and Dorna recently announced the cancellation of the British, Australian and Japanese Grand Prix’s meaning British race fans will not have a British Grand Prix to watch either from the circuit itself or from their couches.
However, plans are in place to go racing by mid-July for the MotoGP championship. Spanish Government are in continuous talks with Dorna regarding a back-to-back season opener at Jerez with a test session the week before.
Speaking to MotoGP’s Matt Dunn, Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta stated that he has held a meeting with manufacturers regarding the current proposal Dorna and the FIM have in place before sending the documentation to the respected authorities.
The speculation at this current time suggests the series will be mainly run in Spain with visits to Italy and Austria planned.
Will we get World Superbikes in the UK?
Maybe. The World Superbike Championship announced that the British round of the season, along with an earlier postponement of the Dutch round at Assen, will not go ahead.
This comes after the UK Government announced a 14-day quarantine for anyone entering the country, however, as we have seen for the Formula 1 championship, this can be exempt for some workers.
The 2020 World Superbike season is scheduled to start in Jerez, one week after MotoGP’s second race at the iconic Spanish circuit but it is understood that there are still some plans to run the Donington Park race, potentially as late in the year as October.
