Finland KymiRing to MotoGP
Finland territory is nothing new to Grand Prix motorcycle racing. GP races were held in Tampere in 1962 and 1963, and from 1964-1983 the series moved to Imatra.
Since 1983, though, Finland has been hush, though it did provide the Grand Prix series with the Ajo team and Moto2 runner-up finisher (2014) Mika Kallio.
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But this is about to change for 2018 MotoGP. Announced ahead of the German MotoGP, Dorna has reached an agreement with Finland’s KymiRing circuit, which is set to join the MotoGP schedule contingent on homologation.
The KymiRing track in Iitti – still under construction – is about 100 miles from Finland’s capital on the Baltic Sea, Helsinki.
MotoGP says: “The new KymiRing track in Iitti is currently under construction, with the FIM and Dorna working in close collaboration with all parties involved for the circuit to be homologated in time for the 2018 World Championship season.”
As most MotoGP tracks are used in Formula 1, this won’t be the case with KymiRing – the circuit was built to specifically host MotoGP, and holds a Grade A license with the International Motorcycle Federation (FIM).
As the 2016 schedule stands, the addition of Finland would bring the MotoGP series to 16 countries. The schedule now travels to 15 countries, with Austria being the latest addition (Red Bull Ring, August 14): Qatar, Argentina, USA, Spain, France, Italy, Netherlands, Germany, Czech Republic, Great Britain, San Marino (micro-state surrounded by Italy), Japan, Australia, and Malaysia.
