The Kazakhstan MotoGP has received new September dates for 2024 following the cancellation of the Indian Grand Prix.
The FIM, IRTA, and Dorna Sports have announced new dates for the inaugural 2024 Kazakhstan MotoGP on Wednesday with the race set to take place in late September.
The inaugural Grand Prix of Kazakhstan was scheduled for 2023, but the circuit wasn’t ready because of homologation works. The 2024 event was set for June 14 to June 16 but had to be moved from its scheduled dates due to unprecedented flooding in the area that resulted in a national emergency.
Now, the first event in the Asian leg of the 2024 MotoGP schedule will take place at the Sokol International Racetrack on September 20–22, marking the first time the circuit hosts GP motorcycle racing.
The Indian Grand Prix was scheduled to take place on these dates, but since it was rescheduled to kick off the season in 2025, Kazakhstan was able to claim the vacant weekend slot.
It means that MotoGP fans in India will have to wait until March 2025 to see Grand Prix bikes around the Buddh International Circuit. This has been made possible by pushing the Qatar Grand Prix back from its usual season-opening calendar position to better align the race around religious holidays.
An initial statement from Dorna Sports and the FIM advised: “The FIM, IRTA and Dorna Sports announce that the Indian Grand Prix will not take place in 2024, with MotoGP postponing its return to the country to early 2025 due to operational considerations.
“Following advice from the Government of Uttar Pradesh as the state continues its long-term commitment to MotoGP, the sport will return to Buddh International Circuit in March 2025, when weather conditions are expected to be optimal for spectators and riders alike.”
A while later both announced: “The inaugural Kazakhstan GP will now take place from the 20th to the 22nd of September as the first race on the Asian leg of the 2024 MotoGP calendar.”
The Kazakhstan race weekend signals the start of a triple-header sequence running into October which includes Indonesia’s Mandalika and Japan’s Motegi, before a weekend off and the rest of the fly-aways at Australia’s Phillip Island, Thailand’s Buriram, and Malaysia’s Sepang.
At the moment, reports indicate that the Sokhol circuit has been completed, though infrastructure still needs to be lined up before its September launch. The final challenges to assuring that Kazakhstan can host a MotoGP weekend efficiently have been identified as problems related to timekeeping, internet connectivity, and road access.
Meanwhile, MotoGP continues its mid-season European tour this weekend, as the Italian Grand Prix takes place at the stunning Mugello circuit in Northern Italy.
