Home » News » Brno will not pay for the repair of the race track. Is it the end of the Grand Prix?

Brno will not pay for the repair of the race track. Is it the end of the Grand Prix?

Valentin Rossi and other star riders will probably not be seen by fans of road motorcycles on the Masaryk Circuit in Brno. City officials are not able to participate in the repair of the poor quality surface of the track for about one hundred million crowns. Its reconstruction is required by the promoter of the championship, the company Dorna, otherwise the company will not be included in the calendar for next year.

The mayor of Brno, Markéta Vaňková, explained the step by the loss of city budget revenues due to the coronavirus situation. For next year, city officials have to reckon with a shortfall of about two billion crowns. “We are not ready to invest any amount in track repairs. We still expect to provide thirty million crowns for MotoGP, but this amount will not cover the repair, “said Vaňková.

For the last five years, the Brno race has been organized by the Association of the City and the Region. In the summer, his representatives negotiated a contract with the promoter for this year and next year. For this year’s fifth year, this time without the participation of spectators, they paid a million euros, next year they have to spend six million, they are to go with the fans in the stands.

MotoGP in Brno

The Brno race on the Masaryk Circuit is in serious danger.

Last week, the promoter did not include him in the preliminary calendar of the championship for next year.

It requires a complete repair of the bad surface of the track for about one hundred million crowns.

City officials do not plan to invest in its reconstruction.
Thirty million crowns are counted for the next year of the race.

Representatives of the new management of the region are not able to issue an opinion on the race, because the position will take office on Wednesday.

The fate of the race will be decided in the coming days.

On behalf of the region, there is a decision on the contribution to MotoGP and a possible repair of the track on the new regional management, which will be chosen by the representatives on Wednesday. “We are basically facing a done deal. We would have to issue a common position of the new management immediately. However, we have not yet announced the budget for next year, so it is difficult to comment on any investment. It is difficult to expect an opinion from us these days, “said future governor Jan Grolich.

According to Vaňková, the optimal solution would be for Automotodrom Brno to pay for the repair of the track as the owner of the circuit. Although according to the contract between him and the association, the repairs required by Dorna are to be paid for by the association, which was also pointed out by the spokesman of the Automotodrom Petr Boháč. “The association has known for a long time about the need to repair the racetrack. It is very unfortunate that the situation has reached this difficult phase, because there was enough time to solve it and it could be resolved much earlier and more effectively, “commented Boháč.

Former Brno mayor Petr Vokřál pointed out that the loss of MotoGP would currently mean one of the worst losses for Brno and local entrepreneurs who benefit from the race. “The Grand Prix is ​​a symbol of the city. It has added value because it is watched by 650 million people worldwide. If we convert it into money, its value is in the hundreds of millions of crowns, “said Vokřál.

According to Vaňková, the promoter requires an annual listing fee of nine million euros for a new five-year contract from 2022. According to her, the city cannot afford to participate in such an amount at the time of outages due to coronavirus. She added that repairing the track only because of the race next year is priceless.

Tomáš Rampula from Brno, for example, regrets the real end of the race. “MotoGP is a long-standing Brno tradition and decoration. I don’t understand why they want to cancel the event. If she went to Prague, everyone would be happy to pay for it right away. But when he is in Brno, he is on the verge of cancellation, “he said.

OLDŘICH HALUZA, TEREZIE SEKÁČOVÁ

– .

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.