LUSAIL, Qatar – FIM, IRTA and Dorna have agreed to cancel the MotoGP portion of the Grand Prix of Qatar, which is scheduled for March 6-8 at the Losail Int’l Circuit.

The ongoing coronavirus outbreak has resulted in travel restrictions from many countries. As of Sunday, all passengers arriving at Doha, Qatar, on direct flights from Italy, or having been in Italy in the past 2 weeks, will be taken straight to quarantine for a minimum of 14 days.

Italy plays a vital role in the Championship and in the MotoGP class – both on track and off – and therefore the decision was made to cancel the MotoGP portion of the event.

As the teams and riders from the Moto2 and Moto3 classes were already in Qatar for the three-day official test at Losail Int’l Circuit earlier this week, the races from both of those categories will be possible.

The lightweight and intermediate classes will therefore compete in their season opener from March 6-8. The same will apply to the Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup, which will have two races during the Grand Prix of Qatar as originally planned.