Ciabatti: The season will not be able to start before June or July

Ducati sporting director Paolo Ciabatti believes that due to deteriorating conditions across Europe, it will not be possible to start the season of the most elite motorcycle class before June or even July.

Following the cancellation of the race in Qatar for MotoGP class racers, the next three planned trials (Thailand, USA and Argentina) have been postponed to the last part of this season due to the new virus. According to the current calendar, the best motorcyclists in the world should be accompanied for the first time in early May at the racetrack in Jerez. However, even this scenario already seems practically impossible, as the authorities in all European countries are taking the strictest measures to prevent the spread of Coronavirus. So far, more than 14 people have been confirmed infected in Spain, and more than 000 have died. It is even worse in Italy, which is considered to be the focus of the virus on the old continent.

Ciabatti told reporters:

“I follow the statistics in detail. I believe that similar figures on the infected and the dead as they are now in Italy will also come from other countries. This, however, only means escalating measures. Given this data, it seems impossible to me that the season could have started before June or July. In China, the matter has been dealt with in a very strict manner in an authoritative way - all have been closed without exception. After two months, the condition slowly normalizes. With our democratic system, this will take even longer. ”

He also expects that the traditional summer break will be abolished this year, following the example of Formula 1, in order to drive as many races as possible during this time, if the situation normalizes by then.

"According to the current calendar, we have a three-week break in the summer. If conditions allow, we could drive a few races at that time. The championship will be a bit more crowded. Some races can also be run in December. I think it’s possible to drive 17 or 18 races this way, like there were on the calendar a few years ago. This would also satisfy the obligations to sponsors and television companies. These are just guesses. No one can predict when we will return to normal.