MotoGP chief defends Qatar GP decision but surprised by Yamaha withdrawal

Nov 11 : MotoGP's deputy CEO Carlos Ezpeleta said the championship was right to go ahead with the Qatar Grand Prix despite rider concerns about travelling to the Gulf during the war with Iran, but he added that Yamaha's withdrawal came as a surprise.

Ezpeleta said MotoGP had based its decision on official information from the Qatari government and from embassies with a large presence in the paddock.

The race was postponed from April to November 6-8 due to the conflict and Ezpeleta said they would have cancelled or postponed the event again if the situation had escalated.

"We can unequivocally say that it was the right decision," Ezpeleta told Reuters. "Obviously, it was normal that the riders showed their concerns and I think that we mitigated those and confronted those to the best that we possibly could.

"It's just important in today's day and age to follow official information and real intelligence versus speculation on the media and disinformation, which I think ultimately was what brought a lot of noise around the event itself."

Several Saudi Arabian sporting events - including soccer, tennis, golf and cycling - were cancelled or postponed in recent weeks after attacks on Riyadh's international airport last month killed at least 12 people.

But Ezpeleta said Qatar had not been affected in the same way as its Gulf neighbours and that planning for the race had accelerated after conditions improved in the June to July period.

YAMAHA WITHDRAWAL SURPRISED MOTOGP

However, Yamaha withdrew from the Qatar Grand Prix citing "company-wide travel restrictions" for the Middle East, with the factory team and the satellite team Prima Pramac not lining up on the grid, reducing the field to 18 riders.

"I can say that the decision surprised us,