Wales will be the home of the British Motorcycling Grand Prix from 2016 in an agreement that could see it remain at the Circuit of Wales for 10 years, announced Moto GP commercial rights holders Dorna on Tuesday.
The Grand Prix meeting - which was hosted by Silverstone last Sunday and saw the feature MotoGP race won by runaway championship leader Marc Marquez - will return for a year to Donington Park in 2015 but then move to Wales to a specially constructed circuit near the Brecon Beacons for the following edition.
“After having announced a long-term partnership with Dorna our priority was to find a racetrack for the 2015 race,” said Chris Herring, one of the directors of Circuit of Wales.
“It was in the interests of everybody, and especially the supporters of the sport, that a decision was taken as early as possible and we found in Donington Park a racetrack which shares our vision of the future of the British MotoGP.”
The Circuit of Wales is a £280 million (R4.9 billion) project with the aim of becoming the centre of the British motorsport industry with an ultra-modern circuit, which will be 5.6km long, the first in Britain to be built specifically for motorcycling Grands Prix.
It is also hoped that the centre will be a boost for industry and local tourism and help in the regeneration of the Blaenau Gwent region.
AFP