When mud devastated the Valencian Community just over a year ago, the paddock of MotoGP lived with anguish and helplessness, thousands of kilometers away, in Malaysia, the moment in which the tragedy occurred. Although the Circuit Ricardo Tormo could have organized the celebration of the circuit’s last Grand Prix despite the material damage suffered, the drivers were forceful when it was initially proposed to continue the race. The general feeling, and even more so as the days passed, was that the celebration had no meaning with the region devastated and the neighbors busy with reconstruction tasks.
Among the 229 victims, more than thirty died in the vicinity of the route, surrounded by the cities of Cheste and Chiva to the west and the Poyo ravine which overflowed with devastating consequences to the north-east. The A-3, to the south, was also a death trap for many on October 29th. “We had to do something. We knew from the first moment that we could not stand still in the face of the disaster we were experiencing, which was happening on the doorstep of our homes, in a land that we love so much and that has given us so much”, says Jorge Martínez Aspar, a resident of Alzira.
Through his team, which competes in the Moto2 and Moto3 categories, the former 125cc world champion managed to raise 300,000 euros to help with the return of furniture and appliances to more than 220 families in Algemesí and Guadassuar. “I want to thank the more than 2,300 people who contributed their grain of sand to our campaign and the thousands of volunteers who left the comfort of their homes to collaborate and rebuild our cities. It’s something we will never forget,” adds the Spanish motorcycling legend. Other champions such as Jorge Martín and Marc Márquez have also made their private donations to various cities and schools in the affected area, and several members of the paddock who live in the region joined the reconstruction with a shovel.
Following the initiative of the team most linked to the territory, MotoGP was able to react in time after deciding to cancel the GP of the Valencian Community after several meetings with the authorities. To replace the event which had been the closing event since 2002, the event announced a Solidarity GP at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The entire proceeds of the event, over 1.6 million euros, were allocated to the Region and channeled through the municipalities of Chiva and Cheste. “The people worked hard and will return to being who they were. We see that our grain of sand was important and that we were able to help as much as possible”, celebrates Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of Dorna Sports, promoter of the championship.
“Valencia has always been a special place for MotoGP, we have been at Ricardo Tormo for more than 25 years. When we learned what had happened, we wanted to do a solidarity action which was very well received by the entire MotoGP family. We wanted to concentrate the aid in these two cities because for many years, and I hope for many more, they have given us all their love,” adds the manager, who has visited the locations surrounding the circuit in recent days. In March 2025, the promoter formalized the renewal of the track’s contract until 2031, giving a notable boost to the area’s recovery, given that more than half of the circuit’s economic activity is concentrated around the motorcycling grand prix.
The reconstruction tasks of parking lots and three of the four accesses to the route began immediately after the tragedy. That October 29, 88 operators present on the circuit had to sleep in the structures, cut off from the outside. Fortunately there was no loss of life along the way. “Only the next day did we realize the extent of the disaster,” recalls Nicolás Collado, director of Ricardo Tormo. Within a month, the main access was repaired and the route resumed operations at minimal levels. “The constituency workers have been committed throughout the last year and I know they have faced this enormous challenge with all their soul. We are very grateful to everyone.”
A geologist studied the safety of the terrain occupied by the runway, which presented no significant damage or risk of sinking. We subsequently worked in coordination with the Generalitat Valenciana, the Hydrographic Confederation and other key institutions in creating new accesses and safer parking, with particular attention to the bridges and breakwaters of the ravines surrounding the route. Despite this, the green light to welcome back the majority of the fans and the thousands of inhabitants of the paddock It didn’t arrive until this week. “The response from the fans and riders was wonderful. Seeing the stands filled to the brim, with a record turnout on Friday and already full this Saturday, is something exciting and speaks to how motorcycling is experienced here,” underlines Collado. “As several riders told us, MotoGP wouldn’t be understood without Valencia. It’s a message that has reached our hearts after this year of hard work.”
With an expected attendance of over 200,000 for the entire weekend, the crowd vibrated this Saturday with the record ‘pole’ of Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia), the fittest man in the championship, and a race towards the sprint that Álex Márquez won with authority on the Gresini team’s Ducati. “Two months after the tragedy, I was able to go for a ride on the Aspar circuit and I got an idea of the scale of the event. Everywhere you went, you could see the effects of the damage. It was shocking,” recalled the winner of the short event. “It’s nice to meet the Valencians again, we are all very excited to compete here again with more than 90,000 friends in the stands,” added the world runner-up.
One year after the damage, MotoGP was able to enjoy Valencia again with all the fans. For this Sunday’s race (2pm, DAZN and La Sexta) a new crowd is expected at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit, undoubtedly one of the great cradles of world motorcycling.
