Qatar’s Losail International Circuit will serve as the opener for the 2017 MotoGP this upcoming March.
The 2017 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season will kick-off with the first race on March 26, with the Qatar MotoGP at the country’s famous Losail International Circuit. It will be the 69th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season, with many champions returning to claim the world championship.
The Losail International Circuit Built was built in just under a year, costing $58 million and the power of 1,000 workers. It first opened for racing in 2004, inaugurating the Marlboro Grand Prix of Qatar, which was won by Sete Gibernau.
The track is 5.380 km long, and has a main straight of just over a kilometer at 1,068 meters.
The Losail track has served as the debut venue for each MotoGP season since, and is the only event in the series where the races occur during night time. The harsh day time heat of Qatar’s rigid climate has been proven damaging to the bikes, especially their tires and expensive customized parts.
Spanish Yamaha rider Jorge Lorenzo wins at 2016 Commercial Bank of Qatar MotoGP at Losail circuit on March 20, 2016
The Spaniard Jorge Lorenzo owns the most win on both the circuit and the event, with 6 wins overall.
Lorenzo will be returning to defend his turf, but will be riding for Ducati this seasons, leaving Movistar Yamaha MotoGP after a nine-year-long relationship with the Italian-Japanese team.
Marc Márquez will be defending his World Champion title this season after having secured his fifth overall title at the 2016 Japanese motorcycle Grand Prix, with three races remaining.
The upcoming season will start on March 26, and conclude on November 12, passing through 18 international circuits, starting in Qatar and ending in Valencia, Spain at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo.
