When mud destroyed a Valencian community a little over a year ago, Pasture Motorcyclists lived in agony and helplessness, thousands of kilometers away in Malaysia, when the tragedy unfolded. Although the Circuit Ricardo Tormo could have celebrated the final grand prix of the session despite the physical damage it sustained, the drivers were resolute when it was initially proposed to continue the race. The general feeling, as the days passed, was that the party had no sense with the affected area and the neighbors committed to reconstruction tasks.
Of the 229 dead, more than thirty people died in the vicinity of the road, surrounded by the cities of Chisti and Chiva to the west and the flooded valley of Boyo with devastating consequences to the northeast. The A-3, to the south, was a death trap for many on October 29. “We had to do something,” says Jorge Martinez Aspar, a resident of Alzera. “We knew from the first moment that we could not stand idly by in the face of the disaster we were facing, which was happening at the doorstep of our homes, in a land that we love so much and that has given us so much.”
Through his team, which competes in the Moto2 and Moto3 categories, the former 125cc world champion was able to raise 300,000 euros, which was intended to help return furniture and appliances to more than 220 families in Algemesi and Guadasoire. The Spanish motorcycle legend adds: “I want to thank the more than 2,300 people who contributed a 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 is something we will never forget.” Other heroes such as Jorge Martin and Marc Márquez also made their own donations to various towns and schools in the affected area, and many members of Pasture Those living in the area joined the reconstruction with a shovel.
Following the initiative of the team with the greatest connections in the region, MotoGP was able to respond in a timely manner after choosing to cancel the Valencian Community Award after several meetings with the authorities. Replacing the event which had been the closing event since 2002, the event announced the Solidarity GP at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The entire proceeds of this event, amounting to more than 1.6 million euros, were allocated to the region and were channeled through the municipalities of Chiva and Cesti. “People have worked hard and will bounce back. We see that our grain of sand was important and that we were able to help as much as we could,” celebrates Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of Dorna Sports, the tournament’s promoter.
“Valencia has always been a special place for the MotoGP Championship, and we have been at Ricardo Tormo for more than 25 years. When we found out what had happened, we wanted to do an act of solidarity that was very well received by the entire MotoGP family. We wanted to focus the help in these two cities because for many years, and I hope it will continue for many more years, they have given us all their love,” added the executive who has visited the towns surrounding the circuit these days. In March 2025, the promoter officially announced the renewal of the contract with the track until 2031, in a notable boost to the region’s recovery, as more than half of the circuit’s economic activity is centered around Grand Prix motorcycle racing.
Reconstruction tasks Car parking Three of the four routes to the road began immediately after the tragedy. On October 29, 88 operators on the circuit had to sleep in facilities, isolated from the outside. Fortunately, there were no casualties on the road. “We didn’t realize the extent of the disaster until the next day,” recalls Nicolas Collado, Ricardo Tormo’s manager. Within a month, the main entrance was repaired and the road resumed minimal activities. “The workers of the department have dedicated themselves throughout the past 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 land occupied by the runway, which did not show major damage or risk of sinking. We then worked in coordination with the Government of Valenciana, the Hydrographic Union and other key institutions in creating new entrances and safer parking spaces, paying special attention to the bridges and breakwaters in the valleys surrounding the road. However, the green light has been given to welcome back the bulk of fans and thousands of residents of the region Pasture It didn’t arrive until this week. “The response from fans and riders has been fantastic. Seeing the stands packed to capacity, with record attendance on Friday and already full on Saturday, is exciting and speaks to how the motorcycle experience is here,” confirms Collado. “As many riders told us, the MotoGP World Championship would not have been possible to understand without Valencia. It is a message that has reached our hearts after this year of hard work.”
With more than 200,000 people expected to attend throughout the weekend, fans were rocked on Saturday by the record run of Marco Pizzici (Aprilia), the fittest man in the championship, and the race to second place. race Which was won by Alex Marquez with the Gresini Ducati team. “Two months after the tragedy, I was able to ride at the Aspar Circuit and got an idea of the scale of the event. Everywhere you went, you could see the effects of the damage. It was shocking,” recalls the winner of the short event. The world runner-up added: “It is nice to meet Valencia again. We are all very excited to compete here again with more than 90,000 friends in the stands.”
A year after the damage, MotoGP was able to enjoy Valencia again with all the fans. For this Sunday’s race (2:00pm, DAZN and La Sexta) a packed new venue is expected at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo, undoubtedly one of the great cradles of motorcycling in the world.
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