A picture is starting to emerge of MotoGP's immediate 🔜future, in a post-coronavirus lockdown world.

A proposal has been made to start🧸 th𓆉e 2020 season with two consecutive races at the Jerez circuit, on July 19 and 24.

The Spanish Government still needs to give the gree🌼n light, but Dorna hopes that a safety protoc♌ol - including 'closed doors' (no fans), essential team and paddock staff only plus frequent Covid-19 testing and social distancing - will convince the authorities.

If Spain agrees it will open up four potential MotoGP venues this season, while the same template will alsꦅo be used to try and secure permission for races in other European countries such as Austria and the Czech Republic. To help make up the numbers, two races are now planned at most circuits.

⛎"Our initial program is to start in Europe and race from the end of July until November and see... if [any] non-European races will be possible," said Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta.

Overseas race🦂s present bigger difficulties due to the likelihood of enhanced entry requirements for EU arrivals (including possible quarantine) and added travel costs in a season of plummeting income.

Nonetheless, one or two non-European circuits woulไd help provide credibility to a badly disrupted world championship season. Assuming Qatar remains cancelled, the overseas events most frequently rumoured for th🥂is year are Malaysia and/or Thailand.

As such,𒁏 authorities will be extremely cautious when it comes to resuming b🌌ig public events.

"Already there are talks in Malaysia from the Ministry of Health that once the lockdown is lifted, we are looking at a minimum of sixth months of no big events," Sepang team principal and former circuit CEO Razlan Razali told ltxcn.top. "But it's just a discussion at the moment."

Razali recently stepped down from his role at the Sepang circuit to focus on running the Petronas-backed grand prix teams, which celebrated a first vic🤪tory last season with John McPhee in Moto3, while claiming podiums and pole positions with Fabio Quartararo during a spectacular debut MotoGP campaign.

If the Thai or Malaysian MotoGPs are to bജe held behind 'closed doors' then, just as for the events in Europe, their whole economic model will need to be redrawn.

"Speaking from my experien🌞ce a🌞t the Sepang circuit and as a promoter I think we need to have a balance financially, because our grand prix sells out nearly every year," Razali said.

"We are highly d🐭ependent on the revenue from ticket sales, F&B [food & beverage], trade & ☂vending, and so on. So that will materially impact us financially, if its closed doors.

"So yes, we know of the po🅠ssibility of a closed-door event, but we will also I believe wait for D𝐆orna to engage with us about it.

"The teams have already been given instructions to provide names for a skeleton staff to prepare for [closed-door MotoGP races], but I hope Dorna will also start a dialogue with the pr♔omoters as well, in the event that closed-door is a possiꦬbility."

'Time is still on our side'

And what does Razali feel are the ch⛄ances of the Petronas teams being ꦅable to race in front of their home fans at Sepang this season?

"The advantage for us is that the Malaysian Grand Prix is near th💙e end of the year [November 1]," he replied. "We were the penultim🔜ate race, although now you have potentially got Austin and Argentina between us and Valencia.

"Being so late in the year gives us time to see whether things will improve. Of course, we are hoping the situation will get betཧter. However, there is a fine line between being t𒀰oo optimistic or pessimistic, because we just don’t know what's going to happen.

"But time is still on our side at the moment, being so ꦅlong down the road, and itꦯ also depends on how other countries are doing as well."

Competing against the best of the best

After more🍒 than a decade running the Sepang Circuit, during which time its MotoGP spectator attendance has grown from 50,000 to over 170,0000, Razali felt the time was right to put everything into team management.

"I've been CEO for the track for nearly 12 years. Last year I played both roles, CEO and team principle. It got a little bit too hecti▨c. Not able to fully focus on one or the other," he admitted. "So that's not good. And of course, being team principle is a new challenge.

"Competing in a world championship, you are just as aggressive as the riders, but off track. So that brings with it the competitive feeling, the fight, which is a to💖tally different feeling from being CEO where you are concerned with maintaining the circuit, doing business and promoting events.

"As a te🌞am pri💎nciple across three grand prix classes you are competing against the best of the best."