How did the Goiânia circuit prepare to host the return of MotoGP?

After a challenging start to the season in Thailand, the paddock of MotoGP The series enjoyed two weekends off. Now it's time for those involved in the sport to prepare for the second round of the championship, held in Brazil. On the other side of the world, however, the men working on the circuit's renovation didn't have a moment to rest.

Inaugurated in 1974 and renamed in honor of Ayrton Senna after his death, the Goiânia circuit is interesting in more ways than one. Combining long straights and technical corners, it promises to be a spectacular event. However, the organizers had to play catch-up with the lap times to meet current standards.

Indeed, the work undertaken in recent months to prepare the site for the arrival of MotoGP has been impressive. Just ten days ago, the final tests were being completed. Thus, at the end of February, a major dress rehearsal took place in Goiânia, under the watchful eye of the FIM.

While eyes were fixed on the Chang circuit, the Brazilian track hosted the Desafio de Campeões (Champions' Challenge, Ed.). A test event bringing together all the stakeholders involved in the future organization of the Grand Prix: track marshals, first responders, race directors, as well as riders from the national R3, GP600, GP1000, and GP1000 Light categories. The latter were able to test the completely renovated track. This provided the FIM with an opportunity to conduct an initial evaluation of the complex, an evaluation which the organizers have, in fact, concluded with a rather positive assessment.

 

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The Ayrton Senna circuit reassures the FIM

"Taking advantage of the opportunity presented by the Brazilian round, we sent two FIM officials to brief the track marshals, assess the circuit, and train the race director.", confides Paul Duparc, sporting director of the circuits commission at the FIM, in the columns of Big prize after this day of action.

The governing body did, however, note a few essential areas for improvement before the arrival of MotoGP. Without revealing what they were, Paul Duparc reassured everyone: "It's now just a matter of details. However, these details are important. At this stage, we are therefore very optimistic." These operations constituted the final validation step before the FIM gave the final green light to host the world championships.

As reported by Juliana Tesser in the local press, the project to homologate the Ayrton Senna circuit cost the local authorities nearly 55 million reais, or almost 10 million euros. This sum covered both the complete renovation of the asphalt and the site's infrastructure, as well as the upgrading of safety features.

The human element, however, relies on experience acquired in Formula 1Approximately sixty stewards from São Paulo – who operate annually at Interlagos for the Formula 1 Grand Prix – will provide on-site operational management. They will be joined by Dr. Dino Altmann, the FIA's official physician, and Dr. Marcos Kawasaki, representing the Brazilian federation.

The local championships of Formula 3 and Formula 4, as well as the Nascar Brazilians, for their part, have become accustomed to evolving there in recent years.

MotoGP returns to Brazil

The 2026 Brazilian Grand Prix will be the first to be held in the country under that name since the start of the MotoGP era in 2002. However, races have already taken place on Brazilian soil since then. The most recent event was in 2004, when it was called the Rio Grand Prix.

Held at the Nelson Piquet International Circuit, it was won by Makoto Tamada, ahead of Max Biaggi and Nicky Hayden in the premier class. At the time, future MotoGP stars, such as Dani Pedrosa, Casey Stoner, and Andrea Dovizioso, were finishing on the podium in the lower classes.

The last races held at the Goiânia circuit date back to the last century. Between 1987 and 1989, the championships were held there three times. The 250cc category (formerly Moto2) even saw French rider Dominique Sarron, younger brother of Christian, the 1984 world champion in the same category, win twice. The last Brazilian Grand Prix for motorcycle racing took place in 1992. Held at Interlagos, it saw Wayne Rainey's Yamaha take the victory.

Nearly thirty years later, the return of the Brazilian Grand Prix comes in a context of geographical expansion of the calendar, with a clear desire from Dorna and the FIM to extend the reach of the championship outside of Europe.