Two weeks after the devastating floods which affected the Valencian Community, where the last Grand Prix of the MotoGP season was to take place, the paddock finally found itself in Barcelona, but with the lead in Valencia.
A few hours after the deadly floods, which made at least 223 words, many drivers declared that it was unthinkable for them to compete in the last race of the season on the Ricardo-Tormo circuit, whose main access road was moreover been carried away by a torrent of mud.
Even before the promoter of the MotoGP championship, Orna, announced that the race would not take place in Valencia, the double title holder Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati), who is in the running to win a third crown against Jorge Martin (Ducati-Pramac), had threatened not to participate in this final event, even if it meant losing all hope of a hat-trick.
Six-time world champion Marc Marquez (Ducati-Gresini) for his part argued that, out of respect for the victims and those affected, the race should not take place and that the rescue and security forces had other priorities. than securing a sporting event that must be sold out with more than 200,000 spectators.
Dorna eventually recognized that it would be impossible to stage the race in Valencia and several fallback options were explored, including Qatar, Aragon and Barcelona.
The Catalan circuit was finally chosen for logistical reasons and the event was named “Barcelona Solidarity Grand Prix” to clearly display the humanitarian objective of the race, beyond the obvious sporting interest.
– Donations and auctions –
The organizers have in fact put 50,000 places on sale for Sunday's GP, and quickly announced that part of the proceeds from this sale would be donated to the Red Cross to help the victims of these dramatic floods.
In addition, online auctions will be organized to collect additional donations. Thus, the Spanish MotoGP rider Maverick Vinales (Aprilia) has decided to put up for sale his KTM motorcycle with which he was crowned Moto3 world champion in 2013.
All these initiatives have reassured the drivers, who will now be able to compete more calmly on the Barcelona-Catalunya circuit, where Jorge Martin arrives in a strong position to win his first world title since he is 24 lengths ahead of Francesco Bagnaia while 37 points will be distributed this weekend.
“It’s really good that we are racing for Valencia,” said the Spaniard at a press conference on Thursday. “It’s a superb mission to drive to help Valencia,” added his Italian opponent.
“Knowing that all these donations are going to be donated to the victims allows me to really concentrate on the race,” also underlined the Spaniard Joan Mir (Honda), 2020 world champion.
“Seeing the images, I got chills so it’s good that Dorna was able to put things in place to raise money. I offered a helmet for the auction,” explained the Frenchman. Johann Zarco (Honda-LCR).
On Wednesday, however, the specter of new floods reappeared when several Spanish regions, including the Valencian Community and Catalonia, were once again placed on red alert. But, fortunately, the rains this time did not have disastrous consequences.
Bright sunshine even greeted the drivers on Thursday in Montmelo and the weather forecasts predict similar conditions throughout the weekend, which could enhance the spectacle.
nb/gk
