Aspar: 'Excitement, joy' at Jerez plans

Moto3 and Moto2 team boss Jorge Martínez 'Aspar' says he feels "great excitement and a lot of joy" at the proposal to restart the 2020 motorcycle grand prix season with two races at Jerez in late July.

Unlike the MotoGP class, Moto2 and Moto2 were able to hold their season-opener at Qatar on March 8, but the coronavirus has kept them from the racetrack ever since.

"The important thing for everyone, is to be able to start on July 19 in Jerez, that is the great news," Aspar said.

"Later on, we hope to have a calendar that tells us how many races we can complete in 2020. From there, we will draw up a plan for the season, which will be different from what we had planned for a year with 20 races.

"If in the end everything is done in Europe, it will be about 10 grands prix; if we can go to Asia or America in October or November we would go to some more. We sure will change the way we approach the season."

After the opening round, Aspar leads the Moto3 World Championship courtesy of the Qatar victory for Albert Arenas (pictured), with Aron Canet claiming eighth on his Moto2 debut.

"The objectives and plans of this 2020 season remain the same: we aim to be world champions in Moto3 and to fight for podiums and victories in Moto2," Aspar said. "The start of the season confirmed that our prospects this year are to take a big step forward."

Finally, Aspar gave his thanks to all the doctors and essential personal that have been on the front line in the battle against the coronavirus.

"I would thank them, first of all, for having saved so many lives; although the figures are scary, without them it would not have been possible," he said. "I want to thank them for having taken the risk for us, because unfortunately some of them have also passed away.

"We should all be proud and grateful for everyone who has made this possible, from doctors and nurses to cleaning personnel and the police forces...

"It is a bad dream. No one could have imagined, not even the most pessimistic, that we would live what we are living. I want, from here, to pay them my most sincere and humble tribute.

"And now that we have managed to flatten the curve after the common effort, I would ask everyone else to act responsibly: do it for you, do it for everyone."