---
title: "MotoGP Eyeballs Possible Rio de Janeiro Grand Prix in 2021"
description: "The race would take place at a brand new facility developed by Brazilian promoter Rio Motorsports"
date: "2018-06-16"
modified: "2018-06-16"
authors:
  - name: "Jerry Perez"
    job_title: "Deputy Editor"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/jerry-perez"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/21564/motogp-eyeballs-possible-rio-de-janeiro-grand-prix-in-2021"
categories:
  - "News"
tags:
  - "brazil"
  - "Brazilian Grand Prix"
  - "MotoGP"
  - "motorcycle racing"
  - "racing"
  - "Racing News"
---

# MotoGP Eyeballs Possible Rio de Janeiro Grand Prix in 2021

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2018/06/gettyimages-545230120.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

A brand new track nestled in the heart of one of the busiest metropolises in the world, Rio de Janeiro, could host the first [MotoGP race](<https://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/20313/hondas-marc-marquez-wins-sixth-consecutive-motogp-grand-prix-of-the-americas>) held in Brazil since the series' departure from the Latin American country in 2004.

Dorna Sports, MotoGP's governing body, confirmed that a preliminary agreement has been signed for a new event to be added to the 2021 racing calendar. The "Brazilian GP," as the statement released on Friday referred to it, will potentially take place at a racing venue pioneered by a company called Rio Motorsports, who appears will also be the [primary race promoter](<https://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/20655/cal-crutchlow-claims-pole-at-the-motogp-gran-premio-de-espaa>) in South America.

Rio Motorsports is headquartered in [Rio de Janeiro](<https://www.thedrive.com/article/15619/uber-drivers-in-brazil-protest-proposed-ride-sharing-regulations>) and it claims to have local and international investors whose "primary purpose is building and exploring new race tracks in Brazil." Together with Dorna Sports, it aims to build a new venue that will replace the now-defunct Jacarepagua race track, which was dismantled to become an Olympic Park for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games held in Rio.

https://twitter.com/_/status/1007646414170705920

“People from Rio have always received MotoGP events with great enthusiasm," said JR Pereira, COO of Rio Motorsports. "We are pleased with Dorna's serious interest in going back to Brazil and their trust in promoting the race at the racetrack we hope will be built in the city. Rio de Janeiro has a vocation to receive major motorsports events, with the same level of expertise shown with major sport and cultural events held in the city.”

MotoGP visited Brazil from 1995 to 2004, but the two have had a rocky relationship in recent years with the motorsports-crazy country being added to the calendar once or twice over the last decade, only to be dropped off each time for unknown reasons. Only time will tell if this new preliminary agreement proves successful.

“We would be thrilled to see MotoGP [return to Brazil](<https://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/20554/ayrton-senna-a-peek-into-a-racers-life-24-years-after-his-death>) and this memorandum of understanding is fantastic news for the Championship and South American fans,” said Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of Dorna Sports. “We have a truly global sport, paddock, and grid, and to add another country to our calendar—especially one such as Brazil—is always something to aspire to. It would be a pleasure for MotoGP to race in a country and continent known for its passion and incredible atmosphere.”

## Author
Jerry is responsible for upholding The Drive's ethos as an audience-first, enthusiast-driven car blog that serves up industry-leading news, reviews, culture, and motorsport coverage. Overseeing a staff of writers and editors from his home base in Indianapolis, he helps curate the site's daily rundown, as well as its medium- and long-term content strategies. Jerry joined The Drive in 2018 as a writer and worked as news editor and managing editor before becoming the deputy in 2023. As a lifelong car enthusiast and racing fan, Jerry believes that all cars are cool, but the people behind the machines are even cooler. This belief often gives The Drive a slightly different focus from most other car sites, where we explore the humanity behind the machines. When he's not obsessing over the day's biggest stories or hanging out at a race track, Jerry can be found behind the wheel of a car, most likely sharing a laugh with his teenage son or daughter.

### Author social links  
[Instagram](<https://www.instagram.com/drive_jerry/>)