Dorna Sports announced this afternoon that the MotoGP World Championship will return to Brazil and Rio de Janeiro, after inking a five-year contract with Rio Motorsports. The new ‘Rio Motorpark’ is to be constructed in Deodoro and will host the #BrazilianGP.

Brazil, and Rio de Janeiro, have already been home to some of the most incredible races in recent MotoGP history. At the 2004 #BrazilianGP at Jacarepaguá, which hosted the #BrazilianGP from 1995-2004, Tamada took the win, over Biaggi and the late Hayden. The development of the new Rio Motorpark to replace Jacarepaguá, which was repurposed as an Olympic Park, brings excitement for both Brazil and MotoGP.

The Rio Motorpark is set for to be completed in 2021, featuring a 4.5km layout, 7 left handed corners and 6 right handed corners. The projected MotoGP laptime is approximately 1 minute and 38 seconds.

Marcelo Crivella, Mayor of Rio de Janeiro: “The news that we already have a first competition for Rio's new racetrack, MotoGP, confirmed for 2022, represents a great advance for our city. The construction of the Deodoro racetrack is a spectacular project, with an extraordinary investment that will generate 7,000 jobs and make Rio regain the leading role in major competitions. We will take development to a region of the city with many needs, which is the West Zone, and stimulate tourism. All this without the City putting a penny into the project, since the whole investment will be the responsibility of the concessionaire.”

JR Pereira, CEO of Rio Motorsports: “Dorna was an extremely loyal partner in every conversation we had. Now that we have completed the local environmental impact studies and the commission that will look into the matter is in place, following the regulatory policies of INEA (Rio de Janeiro State Environment Agency), it has been possible to formalize an agreement that has been built for over two years. We are very grateful to Carmelo and his team that we can realize the dream of bringing MotoGP back to Rio.”

Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of Dorna Sports: “I’m very proud to announce that MotoGP will be returning to race in Rio de Janeiro, one of the world’s truly iconic cities and in such an amazing country. Brazil is an important market for motorcycles, motorcycle racing and motorsport, with a history to be proud of – and a future that I’m excited to see MotoGP play such a vital part as we return in 2022.”