MotoGP, the elite motorcycle racing series, has continued to reinforce its calendar by striking a multi-year extension to keep staging its French Grand Prix (GP) at the ionic Le Mans circuit until 2031.
The Le Mans racetrack staged the French GP 11 times from 1969 to 1995, and then during every season since 2000.
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The new five-year extension, struck by series promoter Dorna Sports, begins with the 2027 season and will see Le Mans Circuit Bugatti continue to host the event beyond the end of its current contract, which was due to end in 2026.
Carmelo Ezpeleta, chief executive of Dorna Sports, has said: “France already has an incredible legacy in motorsport, and we’re proud that our French Grand Prix has added to that at the same time as attracting a huge new wave of fans to the event, area and to the sport itself.”
The French Grand Prix is traditionally one of the most attended events of the MotoGP calendar, boosted by French drivers Fabio Quartararo and Johann Zarco.
Last year, a crowd of 297,471 spectators attended the event over the three days, making it the most-attended MotoGP Grand Prix in history.
The renewal comes shortly after Dorna Sport signed news contracts in Spain, keeping the Valencia Grand Prix at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit and the Catalan Grand Prix at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya until 2031.
Dorna Sports is looking to reinforce its racing calendar after securing an unprecedented MotoGP rights renewal through 2060 back in September 2024.
That deal came after the sale of Dorna Sports to Liberty Media, the promoter of motor racing’s iconic Formula 1 series, earlier this year.
The agreement will see Dorna remain an independently run company attributed to Liberty Media’s Formula One Group tracking stock.
Liberty acquired 86% of MotoGP, with the series' current management retaining approximately 14% of their equity in the business.
