Carmelo Ezpeleta knows what is meant by the adage that to govern is to plan. He put this policy into practice in 2020 with his Dorna troops and the paddock to face the deadly threat, socially and economically speaking, of an unprecedented health crisis which forbade him the idea of a World Championship. However, it took place, and in a beautiful way, with the implementation of a health protocol which has proven itself. Here we are in 2021, and although the context is now perfectly known, Covid-19, unfortunately, has not yet been eradicated. The return to normal is therefore not yet in place, and questions arise about the holding of two Grand Prix planned on the calendar: Austin and Argentina.
Alex Marquez has already expressed his doubts regarding the holding of the Grands Prix ofAustin and D'Argentina, thus revealing out loud what many are thinking quietly in a health context still marked by Covid-19. An assessment that Carmelo Ezpeleta, boss of the promoter Dorna, corrects as follows: “la Covid19 does not allow us to have certainties, but we are working to respect the schedule because it is our absolute priority ". A position affirmed in the English magazine Motorcycle News and relayed by Moto.it.
We know that Dorna, FIM and Irta are doing everything they can to respect the established program and thus prevent Covid19 from further seriously affecting the world championship. For testing Sepang, there is a rough program and protocols already structured and, barring unforeseen circumstances, the Malaysian return should take place in mid-February, not without requiring effort even from the pilots, mechanics and staff of the different teams.
« The most important thing is to make sure the schedule runs on the dates we have proposed »Insists Ezpeleta which reminds us that the public's response is still very far from being achieved. “ We will study with the authorities what are the chances for fans to return, but the most important thing is to respect the schedule. At worst, we are ready to do all the races in the same format as in 2020 ».
Ezpeleta will soon decide the fate of Austin and Argentina
« We will not cancel Grands Prix if it is not possible to have spectators. We spoke to the promoters and they are ready to compete even behind closed doors ". A compromise therefore, at least until the pandemic begins to record less worrying figures around the world. On this point, Ezpeleta does not hide his great confidence in the effectiveness of the vaccine.
For the moment, however, the bad figures are not changing and the owner of Dorna is well aware that for some of the Grands Prix planned for the first months of the world championship, the guarantee of the now famous paddock bubble may not be enough. “ We have to see what are the chances of competing in America and Argentina on April 11 and 18, 2021 he said.
« A decision will be made by this January and, if not, we have alternatives for these races ". It is clear that reference is made to the three reserve circuits already identified by the organizers of the world championship which are the Portugal with Portimao, Indonesia with Mandalika and Russia with Igora.
