MotoGP is set to add a new race in Brazil to its 2014 calendar, following a visit by championship organisers to the country on Monday.
The proposed race would be held at the Autodromo Internacional Nelson Piquet Brasilia circuit, although final confirmation will not come until the completion of a full safety evaluation and rebuilding work at the track.
Dorna, which organises MotoGP, confirmed that IMX, the joint Brazilian venture between EBX Group and IMG, will promote the race locally. It will also be backed by local government officials, including federal district governor Santos Queiroz Filho who was present at the race announcement on Monday.
Dorna said the race would take place in the second half of the 2014 season, following building work which is due to be completed by April or May next year.
Brazil last hosted a MotoGP race in 2004, in Rio de Janeiro. The Brazilian Grand Prix would be the second South American stop on next year's calendar, with Argentina also set to host a race.
"Brazil is one of the most important motorcycling markets in the world," said Dorna chief executive Carmelo Ezpeleta. "It is in South America, so the time schedule is very good for the television coverage, but it has also been a wish of the whole MotoGP family for many years and is a very important matter for us. Until now it has been impossible because, as everybody knows, the most important thing for us is safety".
Ezpeleta described the race as "an important project for us", adding: "Right now Brazil is involved in many big projects, such as the football World Cup and the Olympic Games, so it is also very important for themnot just the Federal Government, but also promoter IMX which is one of the most important promoter companies in the world and of course the most important in South America; they are committed to doing a fantastic job.
The Autodromo Internacional Nelson Piquet, named after the three-time Formula One world champion, opened in 1974 and lies adjacent to the Estadio Nacional, Brasilia's newly-rebuilt 2014 Fifa World Cup stadium.
Source: SportsPro
