Ambitious To Develop Motorsport, Saudi Arabia Wants To Hold MotoGP

MotoGp Illustration (Twitter @rnfracingteam)

JAKARTA - Saudi Arabia wants to add MotoGP to the list of motorsport world championships the country has hosted, the country's sports minister Prince Abdulaziz Bin Turki al Faisal was quoted as saying by Reuters on Tuesday.

Speaking in a Q&A ahead of this weekend's Saudi Formula One Grand Prix in Jeddah, he said Saudi Arabia is already home to motorsport in the region through Formula E, Dakar Rally and Extreme E.

"We are now hosting three FIA World Championship events and are looking to host more in the future," he said.

"There is an ambition to expand and develop the motorsports we organize and one that we are considering is MotoGP."

"I know that it will require a different type of race track in Jeddah, which has specific specifications for motorcycles, but given our new motorsport and entertainment city that is currently under construction in Qiddiya, then it is something to consider for the future. "

MotoGP has been contested in Qatar since 2004 and is the only motorcycle grand prix held in the Middle East.

Saudi Arabia made its Formula One debut last December as part of a 15-year deal.

It will later move to Qiddiya, which is about an hour's drive from the capital Riyadh, once a permanent circuit is completed.

Prince Abdulaziz said ticket sales for this year's race were selling well with far greater demand coming from abroad.

"Like most promoters, we have seen the impact of the 'Max Factor' and we are increasingly in demand by Dutch fans who want to buy tickets and support their proud driver Max Verstappen wherever he races in the world," he said.

Verstappen, who raced for Red Bull last year, won Formula 1 after a season-long battle against seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes. Verstappen did not appear in the series opener in Bahrain last Sunday.