MotoGP: Qatar to host the inaugural round again from 2024

The MotoGP calendar gets its season-opener back! the world championship is going back to its origins, giving the Losail circuit in Qatar the honour and responsibility of opening the 2024 championship. The provisional date proposed by the FIM is that of 8-10 March 2024, a date likely to be made definitive, which means that the first race of the season will once again run under the Qatar floodlights.

With the exception of this year’s event, scheduled around significant renovation work to the circuit, Qatar has opened the championship for the last 16 consecutive seasons and will now do so once more. The 2023 Qatar GP will take place on 19 November, the penultimate round of the year, after which MotoGP will be back at Losail less than four months later for the opening round of the 2024 championship.

Here’s an initial 2024 winter testing calendar

As usual, the first test in preparation for the 2024 season will come immediately after the final race of the season at Valencia, on Tuesday 28 November 2023. The pre-season will then begin in earnest in February with the Shakedown Test dedicated exclusively to the rookies and test riders of the various teams, which is scheduled to take place from 1 to 3 February. The first official test will run at the Sepang International Circuit from 6 to 8 February.

The reigning class will then travel to Qatar, resuming what had become something of ‘a winter tradition’ up until last year. The Losail circuit will host the second and final official test on Monday 19 and Tuesday 20 February.  This will be followed by three more days of testing throughout the season, with locations to be confirmed in due course.