Turkey to host MXGP double-header
By Team TMX on 28th Jul 21
Infront Moto Racing has made a late addition to their 2021 FIM Motocross World Championship schedule as it doubles up in Turkey.
Turkey will see two Grands Prix with the MXGP of Turkey and now the MXGP of Afyon, to be staged just a few days later.
Afyonkarahisar is still quite new to the MXGP calendar, having hosted two GPs (2018 and 2019). Past winners include Thomas Covington, Jorge Prado and Jeffrey Herlings, who won at the venue on both occasions in MXGP. Both Grands Prix were a huge success, with the organiser being awarded the "Best Infrastructure" and "Best Paddock" awards in 2018 and 2019 consecutively.
In a press release, Infront noted that Covid-19 in Turkey has successfully been managed. The country has "kept the virus under control with its strong health system and therefore it has been decided to hold one more round of MXGP in Afyonkarahisar, the City of Sports".
Turkey is currently on the UK Government's Red List. If you have visited a Red List country you will only be allowed to enter the UK if you are a British or Irish National, or you have residence rights in the UK. It will also mean booking a "quarantine hotel" for a 10-night stay.
The MXGP of Turkey will go ahead as originally planned on September 4-5 and the MXGP of Afyon will take place mid-week on the following Tuesday and Wednesday, (September 7-8), which replaces the cancelled MXGP of Sweden. That GP is expected to return to the calendar in 2022.
Along with the MXGP and MX2 races, the Turkish double-header will also see rounds of the FIM Womens Motocross World Championship and the EMXOpen and EMX2t Presented by FMF Racing.
The MXGP of Turkey was removed from the calendar last year due to the coronavirus pandemic. The previous running of the Turkish GP was in 2019, where Red Bull KTM enjoyed a lock-out with double wins for Jeffrey Herlings - to add to his two moto wins in 2018 and Jorge Prado.
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