Japanese GP Postponed until October Due to Volcanic Eruption

Although Bernie Ecclestone and the world of Formula One doesn't seem too troubled by the volcanic eruption that occurred last week, it has now been confirmed that their motorcycle counterparts, the FIM (International Motorcycle Federation) have decided to postpone the upcoming Japanese Grand Prix until early October.

The Japanese track of Motegi was scheduled to hold the 2nd round of this year's MotoGP competition on April 25th, meaning a week from now. However, with all the air travel being stalled throughout the European continent due to the ash resulted from the volcanic eruption in Iceland, the Grand Prix Permanent Bureau decided to move the race to October 3rd.

That means that the next race of the MotoGP calendar will take place also in Europe – the Spanish Grand Prix, scheduled for early May – where teams can easily reach the race track from their European bases on the road, rather that by airplane.

“The recent volcanic eruption in Iceland has caused an ash cloud that has halted all international air travel in and out of Europe. This situation has prompted the Grand Prix Permanent Bureau (...) to postpone the Grand Prix of Japan which was originally scheduled for April 25th, 2010. The Grand Prix Permanent Bureau has subsequently proposed a rescheduled date for the event of October 3rd, 2010 to the FIM,” said the statement from the FIM earlier today.

That will give the teams and riders of the MotoGP series – as well as Moto2 and 125cc classes – a couple of weeks of spare time in order to better prepare their machines for the Spanish Grand Prix. The bikes will therefore have to feature different setups, applied for the different characteristics presented by the Jerez race track.