Everyone was expecting the 2013 MotoGP provisional calendar to be officially released during last week’s Misano GP, but the days went by with no calendar even being seen, instead Loris Capirossi leaked it this evening on TwitterThe calendar indicates nineteen races instead of the usual eighteen, but two venues have yet to be confirmed, and they should be the Austin GP and the Argentina GP.
The Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in currently in talks with Dorna – but there is still the whole lawsuit with Kevin Schwantz that still has to be settled.
The South American race also is hold as it seems that the work at the Termas de Río Hondo circuit is going slowly and there is still the big and sticky question of Repsol YPF assets being nationalized by the Argentinean government last spring.
The Portughese GP at Estoril is off the calendar, while the very popular Jerez de la Frontera is still subject to contract, but the last we heard they were still negotiating a mult-year contract and trying to get the sanctioning fees lowered (Spain is in a big recession).
The Mugello GP has been moved to the beginning of June to try to make up for this year’s poor attendence (which was probably more due to the high ticket prices – Italy is also in recession and has a spiraling unemployment rate), while Silverstone has been pushed from June to September 1st.
There are the usual three intense back-to-back flyaway races, only the order has been changed, first Sepang, then Phillip Island and the last will be Motegi.
The 2013 season starts with the night race in Qatar on March 31st and ends with the Valencia GP, November 10th.