MotoGP Cancels Finnish Grand Prix Amid Ongoing Ukraine Conflict

Dorna postpones KymiRing round until 2023.

By: Dustin Wheelen

May 25, 2022 at 4:11pm ET

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Compared to the truncated 2020 and heavily-revised 2021 MotoGP calendars, the 2022 season was nothing but smooth sailing for the first seven rounds. While the paddock continues to adapt COVID-19 measures to local regulations, the series seemed like it moved past the scheduling woes brought on by the pandemic. However, the global economy was thrust back into uncertainty when Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022.

MotoGP was scheduled to return to Finland for the first time since 1982 with a Grand Prix at the new KymiRing circuit on July 10, 2022. Unfortunately, the current geopolitical situation not only resulted in delays at the Kausala track but also endangered ongoing work at the racecourse. FIM, IRTA, Dorna Sports, and KymiRing officials decided that postponing the event to 2023 would be the best course of action, given the confluence of factors.

Prior to the official cancellation, many speculated that the active homologation work at the track would threaten its spot on the 2022 MotoGP schedule. With less than seven weeks before the Finnish Grand Prix, KymiRing organizers still had a substantial amount of homologation work to complete before Grand Prix weekend. Now, the KymiRing will have a full year to address the remaining issues.

This isn’t the first time MotoGP pulled the plug on the Finland round either. Last year, the series replaced the Finnish GP with an additional Austrian race. There are no plans to fill the July 10 slot this year, though, which means the MotoGP teams will enjoy a five-week summer holiday following the Dutch GP at Assen on June 26, 2022.

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Luckily, MotoGP intends to include the KymiRing round in the 2023 schedule, and the current contract between the track and the Grand Prix series lasts until 2026.

The remaining 2022 MotoGP schedule is as follows: