Thailand's Buriram Circuit To Join The MotoGP Calendar In 2018

The Buriram circuit is expected to slot in towards the end of the 2018 MotoGP calendar and will be held along with Motegi, Phillip Island and Sepang, all of which were held on three successive weekends. The inclusion of Buriram also means that Kymi Ring circuit of Finland is likely to be dropped from the calendar that year and will make its MotoGP debut by 2019. The last circuit to be added to MotoGP's calendar was the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit in 2014.

Reports also suggest that the Sokol circuit in Kazakhstan is under consideration to join the calendar and could do so in either 2018 or 2019. The Thai circuit will be the third Asian venue to host the MotoGP championship. Currently, Japan's Motegi circuit and Malaysia's Sepang track host the races. The fourth Asian venue is expected to be the Jakabaring International Circuit, Indonesia in the future.

The MotoGP Championship includes 20 rounds spread across the year and Dorna has been clear that it will not be exceeding the limit. This means that if the Kazakhstan and Finland are part of the line-up, it is likely to drop two existing circuits from the championship calendar. The circuits out of contract for 2018 are Circuito de Jerez and the Red Bull Ring, Spielberg.

Inaugurated in 2014, the Chang International Circuit is a 4.5 km long track with 12 turns and has a total capacity of 1,00,000. Apart from WSBK, the circuit has also hosted the World Touring Car Championship, Super GT and Porsche Carrera Cup Asia.