The FIM – the governing body of motorcycle racing – has released a statement in response to MotoGP’s challenging return to Brazil.
In the first race at the Brazilian track in almost 30 years, there was chaos ahead of both the Sprint and the main race.
On Saturday afternoon, a sinkhole opened up on the main straight and caused a two-hour delay to the Sprint race, and caused Moto2 qualifying to be moved to Sunday morning.
The FIM has now revealed the cause to be an old sewage system collapsing beneath the track surface after heavy rainfall in the area.
Addressing the delay, the FIM said: “Following the challenges with the track surface during the Brazilian Grand Prix, the Circuit and Race Promoter have carried out investigations into the causes, including the unprecedented rainfall which impacted the final works and contributed to the track surface issues.
“On Saturday, a significant defect in the track emerged due to the collapse of an undocumented old sewage system beneath the surface.
“The problem, which was fortunately off the racing line, was immediately attended to and repaired following a quick response from the Circuit, which allowed track activity to continue later in the day.”
FIM addresses ‘localised asphalt degradation’ on MotoGP’s Goiania return
Six minutes before Sunday’s race, it was announced that the Grand Prix distance would be shortened, with no initial reason given at the time.
However, the FIM has now announced it was due to asphalt degradation discovered after the Moto2 race finished.
Even with the truncated distance, multiple riders – including Alex Rins – suffered injuries and bruising after getting pelted with loose tarmac from the track surface.
“On Sunday, localised asphalt degradation caused by the significant heat and track activity became apparent following the conclusion of the Moto2 Grand Prix.
“Despite removing all excess aggregate ahead of the MotoGP Grand Prix, a small risk of continued surface deterioration during the MotoGP race remained.
“Circuit staff were working right up to the scheduled start to prepare the track, but in the interest of safety, Race Direction took the decision to reduce the race to 23 laps.
“Teams were immediately informed of the change by IRTA staff on each row of the grid.”
The problems in Brazil were similar to MotoGP’s debut at Indonesia in 2022 – which also saw a reduced distance due to asphalt concerns.
Goiania’s organisers and promoters have committed to rectifying the issues ahead of 2027.
“MotoGP’s homologation process for circuits is managed by the FIM and begins more than a year in advance. It includes detailed inspections of all construction areas.”
“As each global location will require a different asphalt mix and laying procedure, these are decided by the Circuit and presented to the FIM to ensure all safety standards are met. Homologation is then confirmed shortly before each Grand Prix.
“The issues faced in Brazil have been acknowledged by the Promoter and the Circuit and will be rectified before MotoGP returns next season.
“The Grand Prix of Brazil welcomed 148,384 fans to Autódromo Internacional de Goiania – Ayrton Senna, demonstrating both the strong appeal of MotoGP in Brazil and MotoGP’s opportunity for further global growth.”