MotoGP: Lorenzo visits new race circuit in Kazakhstan

Reigning MotoGP world champion Jorge Lorenzo has visited the construction site of Kazakhstan’s new Sokol circuit, which is hoping to be up and running in the near future.

Located in Almaty, the central Asian country’s largest city, the track is the latest circuit built by German track designer Hermann Tilke, the man behind Sepang and the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, among others.

And, with the visit of Lorenzo to the site, it looks like the country is pitching to bid for a spot on the MotoGP calendar in the near-future, as well as other events like World Superbikes and car racing.

However, the move has also drawn criticisms from some about MotoGP moving towards the F1 model of expanding into countries with no history of racing but the wealth to attract the sport.

Kazakhstan is a former Soviet Republic that relies on oil exports to support its burgeoning economy, and has drawn criticisms in the past for it’s human rights record and lack of free and fair elections.