Motorcycling federation admits “great satisfaction” on renewal of contract
Portuguese president of the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM), Jorge Viegas, has expressed his “great satisfaction” today with the continuation of the MotoGP Portuguese Grand Prix at the Algarve International Autodrome in Portimão.
Speaking to the Lusa news agency, Viegas acknowledged “it wasn’t easy” to clinch the deal – due to outstanding debts that the Algarve International Autodrome has to World Speed Championship promoter Dorna.
“The Autódromo did a lot of work and, for the first time, the government was an interested party and very active in making this contract viable”, he explained. “The Portuguese Grand Prix was at risk, but I can only be happy that MotoGP will continue in Portugal.”
Thus, next year, Portugal will host the MotoGP World Championship in Portimão, the Superbike Championship in Portimão and Estoril, and the Junior GP Championship in Estoril.
The MotoGP world calendar will be announced tomorrow. It will have have “22 rounds, with the addition of Hungary and the Czech Republic and the retention of Argentina”, Viegas has said – and again according to the FIM president, the Portuguese MotoGP is likely to be one of the last stages of the championships, taking place later in the year: probably in November.
“There was a concern about having it in the low tourist season,” Viegas admitted. But it was clearly decided ‘better a date than no date at all’.
MotoGP is always credited with bringing millions of euros in revenue to the Algarve by dint of attracting thousands of spectators.
Secretary of State for Tourism says government “had to restore good name of state”
Secretary of State for Tourism Pedro Machado has described the “intense” efforts involved in keeping MotoGP in Portugal.
“Firstly, we had to restore the good name of the state because the Portuguese state had not fulfilled its obligations in previous contracts”.
As he explained, with other partners – such as Turismo do Algarve and the Secretary of State for Sport – it was necessary to “win, or win back, the trust, especially of Dorna and Liberty, who are the ‘owners’ of the race licences”
“We were in danger of losing this race precisely because we hadn’t fulfilled the financial commitments of the previous races.
“We had to recover this good name by carrying out a solid, responsible, credible and reliable negotiation process, which is what happened. And the proof is that we have 2025 and 2026”.
One of the quid quo pros of the deal is that the state will invest €2 million in each of the two years, through Turismo de Portugal.
“If we’re talking about a return of around €80 million, I think it’s easy to realise how much good this project brings to our country”, said Machado, drawing attention to the direct and indirect revenue generated by the event, which “received more than 180,000 visitors in the last edition”.
Machado also emphasised that the MotoGP Portuguese Grand Prix is an example of the kind of ‘major international events’ the government wants to attract to the country, promoting its “notoriety and visibility.
“Today we are endeavouring to qualify our tourism offer. We want this to go hand in hand with our tourist experience, which means attracting more and more citizens with high purchasing power”, he said.
The government’s ambition is for the contract signed with Dorna to continue beyond 2026, and to ‘get back to having’ major golf and equestrian competitions in Portugal.
Source: LUSA
