MotoGP riders once threatened to ‘strike’ the Brazilian Grand Prix over unpaid prize money.

The Brazilian GP, ​​known for its dusty and dusty appearance as well as its fantastic fan atmosphere, moved to Interlagos in 1992 after a three-year absence. The race was held in the nation’s capital until 1995, when it was renamed the Rio Grand Prix, crossing the calendar again.

Valentino Rossi won the race six times, including four in a row between 2000 and 2003. Rio left the MotoGP calendar in 2004, and Brazil did not host another race until this season.

Goiania will return to the sport after not hosting the competition for four decades. As mentioned earlier, the past has been a mess, including one instance where a Grand Prix did not happen.

In the year At the 1988 Brazilian GP, ​​riders threatened to ‘go on strike’ over unpaid prize money.

MotoGP journalist and expert Michael Scott said on the Paddock Pass podcast that the 1988 race was almost a ‘strike’ from the riders. The organizers were unable to pay the prize money, which put the event in jeopardy.

“Was it the second, or was it the third race? It was the second, I think, they had three races in Goiania,” Scott said.

“A day before the race, the organizers announced that they could not afford to pay the prize money. The riders refused to compete for the Brazilian promissory notes instead of paying the actual amount.”

They threatened a strike, and everything was full and full, but there was a lot of running around with IRTA and FIM, in fact it turned out that some of the teams hadn’t paid their freight bills because there was an invoice pending in Brazil that was never issued.

“So[he]was saved at the last minute. Typical last-minute stuff for Brazil because of course the Argentina tournament was supposed to follow, but that was cancelled, making Brazil pay all the loading costs, and they couldn’t afford it.”

Read more: Michelin has decided to bring the Ducati kryptonite tire to the Brazilian Grand Prix

Could the 2026 Brazilian Grand Prix be in jeopardy?

Currently, Goiania’s return has been met with excitement among fans and riders alike. However, now there are some doubts whether the event will actually continue.

Goiania paddock entrance ‘completely flooded’ After heavy rain in the area. He has raised concerns about whether the competition will be held.

A The manager of the MotoGP team admitted that the situation was ‘distressing’ for the event. It will be closely monitored as it develops, but it’s definitely not a good look for the track and its producers.

In addition to that, Goiania’s endpoints are raising security concerns. Before the Brazilian GP. Given the high speed of the road, the possibility of a serious accident is likely to be high.