Brno to return to the MotoGP calendar in 2025

The Czech Republic will return to the MotoGP calendar for the first time since 2020 as part of a five-year deal with the Brno Circuit.

Under the terms of the agreement, the much-loved Brno track will make a long a awaited comeback in 2025 and stay on the calendar until at least 2029.

The exact date for its return in 2025 is yet to be announced, but it previously occupied a slot in early August that was later taken over by Silverstone for the British Grand Prix.

With the UK round being moved to 23-25 May next year, that spot will become vacant again, although that doesn’t necessarily mean the returning Czech event will be slotted in its place.

“We’re delighted to be able to announce our return to Brno,” Dorna Sports CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta said.

“It’s a classic, with a fantastic layout that has staged some really memorable moments in its long history in MotoGP.

“We’re really excited to return and stage more, with the Tissot Sprint every weekend and even more for fans to enjoy on site to get closer to their heroes than ever.

“We’ve seen the hillsides here packed with passion for our sport so many times – when it was the best-attended grand prix of the year on a number of occasions – and we’re very happy to bring MotoGP back to our fans in Czechia.”

Brno had been an annual fixture on the premier class calendar between 1987 and the first COVID-affected year in 2020, barring a one-year absence in 1992.

Prior to the construction of the present-day Brno circuit, grand prix racing used to take place on a street track on the outskirts of the city that at one point measured 29km (18 miles) in length.

Petr Fiala, Prime Minister of the Czech Republic said: “Motorcycle racing has a tradition at the Brno Masaryk Circuit dating back to the 1950s.

“MotoGP is a prestigious global event that brings tens of thousands of visitors to the Czech Republic, particularly to South Moravia, many of whom come from abroad.

“I am very pleased that we have managed to continue this tradition and that the MotoGP race will return to Brno after five years.”

MotoGP is yet to announce the full calendar for the 2025 season, but the campaign will kick off at Buriram in Thailand on 2 March.

Qatar, the traditional venue for the opening round, will host its annual MotoGP race at an unspecified date later in the year.