2026 MotoGP Schedule

[SoCal250]

Well Liberty Media is doing what they were expected to do; drive the GP series into the ground. They have just axed the Phillip Island round which has been part of the schedule for over 30 years. This season will be the last time MotoGP runs there. In it's place they're adding a street circuit in Adelaide, which now has a contract through 2032.
They first tried to move the AUS round to Albert Park in Melbourne but the Victorian government rejected the request.

[JKV45]

Just one of the changes Liberty Media is making to GP racing.

My favorite class, Moto3, will be changing in 2027 from a 250cc prototype class to a 700cc spec class.

I'm doubtful we will see the same tight, high quality, racing we have seen in Moto3 from its inception.

I was sad to see the sport move away from 125cc 2-strokes, back in the day, but you can't stop the wheels of progress ya know...

[SoCal250]

i heard Peco is off to Aprilia! 2027 is a real shake up.

That would make sense, since his buddy Bezzecchi is there, and in fact just signed a new deal through the 2028 season. Marco had a ceremony where he "married" his motorcycle, which he has given a name.

At the Buriram test Pecco announced that he has decided on Aprilia for next season.

Also at the test things are continuing to look bad for Yamaha this year. After day 1 they're all more than a second off the pace in 17th, 18th, 19th & 21st (out of 22).

[elliottles1]

Well, that was an interesting race weekend. Bez is starting to look very dangerous. Looks like the championship will be more open this year, possibly MM may not have it all his own way, and Yamaha may have nothing at all going their way! Maybe Pecco will go to Aprilia at just the right time, and Martin will leave at just the wrong time.
Very happy that now in Ireland we have someone to cheer for in Moto3, go Casey.
also, cant see the Qatar round going ahead at the moment.
cheers
les.

[sav0r (CL MotoTech)]

Can't believe the state Ducati is in. Maybe the heat was driving the lack of performance but that was a surprise for sure. Nice to see some other makes on the podium though.

[SoCal250]

This news was imminent as there was no way the Qatar round could be held under current conditions in the Middle East. While F1 cancelled their two rounds in the region, MotoGP has decided to postpone the Qatar event from April 10-12 to Nov 06-08. As a result, the Portugal and Valencia rounds at the end of the season each get bumped out a week from the original schedule. They will now take place Nov 20-22 and Nov 27-29, respectively. So this year we'll have racing into Thanksgiving (US) weekend.

ROUND      ORIGINAL      NEW
Qatar         Apr 10-12    Nov 06-08
Portugal    Nov 13-15    Nov 20-22
Valencia    Nov 20-22    Nov 27-29

[SoCal250]

VR46 unveiled a new "pop art" livery by Aldo Drudi in NYC this week for the Austin round.

[elliottles1]

Well, what a sprint race at COTA, you could not write it yourself, this season looks set to be a blinder. the Yamahas are a bit depressing tho, i would love to see Razgat on competitive machinery

[elliottles1]

Excellent Motogp weekend, best i can remember for a long time. the Yamahas desperately need to find something, its becoming embarrassing. What is wrong with Marquez and the Ducatis? The Aprilias are starting to look impressive, i can hear Martin saying "please can i have my old job back!" Also great to see Acosta getting closer to the win.

[busa1300]

Yamaha not capable of getting the same power as all the other V4's. Maybe next year's redesign will work better

[sav0r (CL MotoTech)]

The Yamaha isn't even in the same league.

[JKV45]

Yamaha not capable of getting the same power as all the other V4's. Maybe next year's redesign will work better

Going to 800CCs should shake things up a bit.  There is talk about new teams coming in also.

I hope Yamaha can catch up.

Next year Moto3 will be Yamaha 700CC twins, based on the R7.  I'll miss the 250s.  It should make the transition from Moto3 to Moto2 (Triumph 765CC triples) easier.  It's currently a pretty big step.  Last years Moto3 Champion, Rueda, has been struggling in Moto2.

[SoCal250]

Going to 800CCs should shake things up a bit.

The new engine spec for 2027 is 850cc. We already had an 800cc era and it is not thought of fondly. Hopefully this engine downsizing goes better than the last one.

I was at the Austin GP and got to see the poor Yamahas bringing up the rear. They were all at the back fighting each other to not cross the line last. It's pretty embarrassing when you're so far off the pace. And things don't look to improve any time soon.

Some choice quotes from the Yamaha factory riders during the weekend:
   Fabio Quartararo:  "The team has no idea how to fix all of the problems we have".
   Alex Rins:  "I felt useless on the bike. I say, 'what the f**k I'm doing here?'"
                  "There is time that I don't enjoy right now, but I was like, what are we doing?"

Quite a lot of news and rumors regarding rider moves, (some of this has been previously announced):
Alonso up from Moto2 to factory Honda, to join Quartararo
Holgado up from Moto2 to Gresini, which is losing both riders (A. Marquez & Aldeguer)
Bastianini may jump over from Tech3 to rejoin Gresini.
Quartararo to factory Honda. That would mean both Honda riders are out, so Marini may jump over to Yamaha and Mir may go to Trackhouse Aprilia to rejoin his old boss Brivio.
Martin to factory Yamaha, replacing Quartararo
A Marquez to KTM, replacing Acosta
Bagnaia to factory Aprilia, replacing Martin
Acosta to factory Ducati, replacing Bagnaia
Aldeguer to VR46, meaning Morbidelli is out

Honda is pushing to have 6 bikes on the grid in 2027. Tech3 is considering a switch to Honda, as is Gresini.

[SoCal250]

The Austin race weekend had some of the best races and duels at the front that I've seen in a while. Moto3 was awesome and both Talent Cup races were outstanding! The entire weekend was a total blast! The weather was great, although a little cool on Saturday morning. Sunday was warm and sunny but not as hot as it sometimes gets at this time of year. Attendance was pretty good, I think the crowd was a little bigger than the previous year.

I only took a couple action shots because I only had my cell phone, so pics aren't the greatest.
MM93 at T9 on Saturday


T7 on Saturday




Fabio's old bike


BB33's KTM


They had a lot of cool stuff displayed celebrating Nicky, as this year marks the 20th anniversary of his MotoGP title 


The Sunday pre-race flyover was incredible! A formation of helicopters flew down the main straight and then the two Apaches peeled off and followed the track route at low altitude. And then they did super low circles around the tower before heading out.

[SoCal250]

Some of the bikes in the manufacturers area at COTA that I was able to check out

YZF-R7 70th Anniversary Edition


YZ125 70th Anniversary Edition


The new WR125R


The new Benelli Tornado 550. Quite a bit of decent features for a $6500 (est.) bike! 554cc parallel twin with 62 HP, Brembo brakes, ABS, Marzocchi suspension, traction control, 5" TFT display, Bluetooth, etc.


MV Agusta Superveloce 1000 Ago, limited edition of only 83 units to celebrate Agostini's 83rd birthday. He was given #1. Each one comes with a key containing an insert that is made from one of Ago's vintage race trophies that he selected for the project.  Lists for about $81K


Check out the rear wheel. Pretty unusual.


And a collector exhaust from a Team Roberts Proton KR3 signed by The King