MotoGP ended this Sunday (22) its first stage in Brazil after more than two decades away from the country, with victory for Italian Marco Bezzecchi, followed by Spaniard Jorge Martín and fellow Italian Fabio Di Giannantonio, who completed the podium in Goiânia, in front of an audience of 148,384 people over the weekend — 60,873 on race day. Brazilian Diogo Moreira finished 13th.
Initially scheduled to have 31 laps, the race’s total time was reduced to 23. According to the category, the decision was made due to the wear of the asphalt, caused by the rain in the days leading up to the stage and also by the strong heat at the time of the race, with 52ºC on the track and 31ºC in the environment.
The result of the race, however, was just part of a weekend that served as a test for Brazil’s return to the category’s calendar, marked by unforeseen events and a structural problem that exposed the limits of the circuit’s preparation.
The race was held after a week in which rain interfered with the schedule and, above all, after the appearance of a hole on the main straight of the race track, the day before the race, which delayed the sprint race on Saturday (21) by around 1h20. The dispute ended with victory for Spaniard Marc Márquez. Italian Fabio Di Giannantonio and Spaniard Jorge Martín completed the podium. Brazilian Diogo Moreira came in tenth place.
Despite the emergency repairs, which even took a concrete mixer truck to the track to throw concrete into the hole, the pilots identified other points of attention. “The track has more undulations. The asphalt is not very compacted,” said Brazilian Diogo Moreira. “With so little time, they did a great job on the track which, for me, looks fantastic”, he added shortly after the sprint.
Work on the site began in January last year. Before hosting MotoGP, the race track was approved by the FIM (International Motorcycling Federation) with grade A, the highest of the regulatory body.
If the problems caused by the weather are part of the unforeseen circumstances, the failure of the track put under pressure the organization of an event made possible with high public investment, of around R$ 250 million, of which R$ 60 million were investments directly in renovations at the race track.
The expense was treated as strategic by the governor of Goiás, Ronaldo Caiado (PSD), who made a point of giving the flag and handing over the trophy this Sunday, transforming part of the party into his personal platform.
With a five-year contract to race in Brazil, from 2026 to 2030, MotoGP already predicted that the first year would be a kind of test to improve the next events. “We had problems with rain, but this is part of the first year. There are adjustments to be made, and the tendency is for the event to evolve in the next editions”, said MotoGP sporting director, Carlos Ezpeleta.
Among the public, the evaluation also mixes enthusiasm and criticism. “There are some issues that need to be improved. Here [na escada de acesso] Everyone stands still, but there is no one to guide”, said student Barbara Mussi, 29, who followed the race alongside her boyfriend, Guilherme Silveira, 27.
The couple lives in Rio de Janeiro and is used to traveling to attend motorsport events, such as the São Paulo F1 GP. For him, access to the Autódromo Ayrton Senna, in Goiânia, was the most critical point. “They tried to concentrate the public’s departure on buses and everyone was a bit ‘canned'”, complained Silveira.
Other fans, however, highlighted the positive experience, especially among those who had their first contact with the category. “It’s our first time at an event like this, and it’s been really cool. It’s well organized, the environment is structured”, said civil engineer Andre Luis Martins, 23, who put the delay in the schedule into perspective: “We understand. It can happen at any event, it didn’t affect the experience.”
The return of MotoGP also has symbolic weight. The category had not raced in the country since 2004, when it left the Jacarepaguá racetrack, in Rio de Janeiro. Later attempts to take the stage to other cities, such as Brasília and Deodoro, did not advance.
Goiânia, in turn, already hosted the World Cup between 1987 and 1989, before the visit to Interlagos, in 1992, and the sequence in Rio throughout the following decade. The current stage resumes this relationship, now in a more competitive scenario between countries due to global events.
Reporter traveled at the invitation of Brasil Motosports
