Moto GP boss Carmelo Ezpeleta has revealed that there will be no replacement for the Japanese Grand Prix should organisers decide the event shouldn’t go ahead for safety reasons.
The event at Motegi was scheduled for the weekend, but was postponed following the devastating earthquake and tsunami in the country. It was then moved to towards the end of the Moto GP 2011 calendar, being rearranged for October.
The situation in Japan is still difficult though and despite the determination of organisers to make sure the GP goes ahead, there is doubt as to whether it will even be safe enough in six months time.
While Ezpeleta cannot be certain on the race taking place, a decision he will leave in the hands of the organisers in Japan, one thing he was adamant about was that there would be no replacement race should it be cancelled.
He said: ‘We wait for the decisions of the local promoters. In any case, should they decide to give up the race for this year, there would be no substitution.’
‘A national championship race is scheduled there in July, which means that at that time the venue should be usable. By then we should be certain on what we’ll do.’
The Moto GP chief then offered his support for the people of Japan and how they are coping with the natural disasters in the country, saying he has ‘full confidence’ in the fact that the country will be safe to visit if the GP organisers say it is.
Elsewhere, Honda vice-president has been having his say on the Japanese circuit, commenting on how the damage from the recent earthquake has been repaired and that the track was ready for a race.
Overall, it seems as though there is every intention of the Japanese Grand Prix going ahead as planned in October. That is the outcome people want anyway.
Even if it doesn’t, the likes of Turkey – who had been a rumoured replacement venue – will have to wait until 2012 if they are to potentially host a Moto GP event.
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