British MotoGP to be held at Silverstone in 2015-16 after Circuit of Wales, Donington end deal

THIS year’s British MotoGP will return to Silverstone, after plans to shift it to Donington by rights holders Circuit of Wales fell through.

THIS year’s British MotoGP will return to Silverstone, after plans to shift the race to Donington Park as a placeholder for new rights holders the Circuit of Wales fell through.

Silverstone will host the race in both 2015 and 2016, before the event’s planned move to the new Welsh circuit for 2017.

Last August, the yet-to-be-built Circuit of Wales announced a five-year deal with MotoGP commercial chiefs Dorna to host the British round of the MotoGP world championship from 2015 onwards, with a further option for another five years.

However, with the circuit not slated to be ready until 2016 at the earliest, Circuit of Wales chiefs came to an agreement with the bosses of Donington Park to return the British MotoGP to its former long-time host in 2015.

SWITCH: CIRCUIT OF WALES TO HOST BRITISH MOTOGP FROM 2015

ONE-OFF: DONINGTON TO STAND IN AS BRITISH GP HOST IN 2015

Or that was the plan, until Donington Park management announced they had terminated the deal on Wednesday, citing their former partner’s inability “to complete their agreement with DPRL, nor meet long-planned payment deadlines,” according to a statement from the circuit.

Though it had successfully held the British MotoGP from 1987 to 2009, the Donington Park circuit also needed several upgrades before it met the standard required of a MotoGP circuit, and the lack of payments prevented the work from beginning in time to host the race on August 28-30.

“Despite (Donington Park Racing Limited)’s best efforts, the time lost with (Circuit of Wales) being unable to complete the funding arrangements has resulted in delays in almost all of the event’s critically important operational plans, from track works to equipment hire,” the statement continued.

“Therefore, in the judgment of the Board of DPRL, this current position could jeopardise the safe and successful running of the 2015 British MotoGP at Donington to such an extent, that both the commercial risks and the lack of time are now too great to allow Donington to proceed.”

The Circuit of Wales disputes the claim, suggesting that the two circuit’s inability to reach a signed contractual agreement meant they were “unwilling to provide the significant funding that (Donington) required for the necessary track upgrades to host the British Grand Prix.”

The Welsh circuit’s statement also maintained that all funding is in place for works to start on the new facility later this year.

But there was still the matter of just where the 2015 British MotoGP would be held.

Into the breach stepped Silverstone, coming to an agreement with the circuit that had sensationally stripped it of the race just six months ago.

“A lot of work has been done over recent years to ensure MotoGP fans enjoy what Silverstone has to offer and it was devastating for the venue to lose the event last autumn,” Patrick Allen, Silverstone’s managing director said.

“Two wheel racing is as much a part of Silverstone’s heritage as four wheel racing and I am obviously delighted to be in a position to announce we are hosting both the F1 and MotoGP Grand Prix in 2015.”

Michael Carrick, chief executive of Circuit of Wales, added: “We want to thank the new management at Silverstone, our partners at Dorna and our investors for the rapid response needed to support the 2015 event when it became clear that we would be unlikely to conclude the contractual arrangements at Donington.

“We are delighted to secure the future of the event for the next two years while our circuit in Wales is under construction.”

The 2015 British MotoGP, the 12th round of the 2015 MotoGP world championship, is now slated to be held at Silverstone on August 28-30, 2015.

Originally published as British MotoGP to be held at Silverstone in 2015-16 after Circuit of Wales, Donington end deal