[UPDATE November 1, 2024: MotoGP issued an official announcement that says, after careful consideration, it is canceling the 2024 Valencia MotoGP round. However, it will schedule a new final round for the 2024 season at another track as soon as possible.
It's going beyond that, though. Organizers also said that both the Malaysian GP weekend, which is already under way, and the yet-to-be-announced alternate 2024 Finale will both serve to raise funds to aid in Valencia's recovery efforts following the devastation.
The statement reads, in part, "In lieu of racing in Valencia, MotoGP™ will instead race for Valencia. The championship will put our collective efforts behind backing the relief funds already in place to ensure our positive impact can connect with the area in the way it best serves the people and communities we have been part of for so long."]
Original piece follows.
Mega disasters have a tendency to throw everything into disarray. Even if you're the type of person who's super prepared, no one is ready for every conceivable thing. And that's especially true when you have a once-in-a-century weather event, like what just happened in Valencia, Spain at the end of October.
Unfortunately, serious weather disasters like these are only becoming more frequent with each passing year. So, we have some idea of how the timeline goes. There's the disaster itself, and then there's the aftermath and recovery, where local residents and outsiders who come in to help all work together to try to bring the area back to normal and assess the damage.
In best-case situations, injuries are minimized, and folks are able to be rescued before their personal situations deteriorate too much. And in worst-case situations, the death toll keeps rising as rescue efforts uncover more people whose lives were unfortunately claimed by the disaster.
In Valencia, the death toll keeps rising. When I first wrote about the floods yesterday, I saw numbers around 40 to 55, give or take. Now, today, I see that it's up to 155. And it's an ongoing process, so it's probably going to get worse. Plenty of people are still missing, and here's hoping that many more will be found alive and able to receive medical attention.
MotoGP organizers took to Twitter to issue an official statement regarding the disaster.
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) October 30, 2024
As it currently stands, there are only two race weekends remaining in the 2024 MotoGP season: Malaysia, which is this weekend, and Valencia, which was scheduled to run as the season finale from November 15 through 17, 2024. Likewise, there are only two racers who remain in mathematical contention for the rider's championship title this year: Jorge Martin, and reigning champion Pecco Bagnaia.
And for any old-school racing fans who've lamented the extremely strong media training that the current crop of racers has, Bagnaia at least isn't afraid to speak out on this point. If you've guessed that it could have something to do with the flooding in his home region of Emilia-Romagna in 2023, you're 100 percent correct.
Bagnaia, who currently sits 17 points behind Martin in the championship, shared the following with Speedweek, "It is unbelievable what is happening in Valencia, the people there are experiencing their worst nightmare and we should try to be as close to them as possible. In practical terms, we cannot help at the moment, but we experienced something similar in Italy last year and we can empathize with them."
He continued, "For me, the most important point is the ethical side. Let's be honest, the final in Valencia is a big racing party, a moment of enjoyment and joy for everyone. For me, that doesn't fit with the current situation there. It's also about respect. We all live under the same sky and from my point of view it would not be right to drive there. If it were my decision, I would prefer not to drive there. But it is not my decision. I am sure that Dorna, as the organizer, will make the right decision. But I also think there are several options in this situation."
It's both an impressive and an incredibly honorable stance for Bagnaia to take, especially given the fact that if the final race of the season is canceled outright, it only stands to lessen his chances of holding on to the title.
But there are also many who, like Bagnaia, would simply think it's the right thing to do, regardless of the personal cost. The human thing to do.
As Bagnaia himself said, "We all live under the same sky." It might sound prettier in Italian, but the concept carries through in every language. Honestly, it's refreshing, and we could do with more of this from our sporting (and other) cultural heroes in 2024.
Do you think MotoGP Valencia should go on as scheduled in 2024? I'm especially interested to hear your thoughts if you live in the area, and please know that our thoughts are with you from across the ocean.
Sure, tourism money matters, but it's also a massive strain on resources and infrastructure that are already stretched far too thin at the moment. In my view, our entertainment is simply not more important than human lives, and helping those who need it.
If you have thoughts, please share them in the comments.
