As the day’s sunlight has barely crept up on the horizon, the banks surrounding the Angel Nieto Turn 8 and Peluqui Turn 9 are already buzzing with life. It can only be MotoGP Sunday at Jerez.
MotoGP visits a lot of iconic venues where so much of the series’ 75-year storied history has been told. But few seem to elicit the same emotional response for so many as Jerez. Speak to many in the paddock about the Andalucian venue – which hosted MotoGP on and off from 1987 before permanently becoming the home of the Spanish Grand Prix in 1989 – and they’ll all bring up how atmospheric the place is.
On MotoGP Sundays, the former circuit announcer used to play Pink Floyd’s Shine On You Crazy Diamond as the mist slowly lifted from the hills to reveal the legion of bike-mad Spaniards awaiting something special. That part has sadly disappeared from the Jerez experience, but the fans remain.
Something special is par for the course at Jerez. Whether it was Valentino Rossi versus Sete Gibernau at the last corner in 2005, or Marc Marquez replicating this on Jorge Lorenzo in 2013, or any other countless dramatic moment, Jerez has made itself such a vital part of the calendar. That it staged the opening two rounds of the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign is as much a testament to its importance to MotoGP as it was a logistically convenient place to keep motorsport alive in an odd world.
Last weekend’s 25-lap Spanish GP is another special moment etched into the fabric of Jerez’s history. The battle between Marc Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia for the win dripped with tension, as the pair had already come together controversially in Portugal. The pair’s skill to stay aboard when they connected at Turn 10 on lap 21 and, subsequently, reigning world champion Bagnaia’s skill to still take the lead, defend it next time around and then cement it with a new race lap record two from home in a statement ride, showed why MotoGP is a series worth investing in.
That it came in front of a MotoGP weekend attendance record of 296,741 people – taking the title away from Le Mans set in 2023 at 278,805 – further highlighted just how integral a stop Jerez (whose current contract with Dorna expires after next year, but will almost certainly be renewed) is on the calendar.
“Jerez is impressive,” Bagnaia, winner of the last three Spanish GPs, said. “All the track… but corners nine and 10 is something that makes you speechless. It’s…
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