Video: Jerez will be the "World Motorcycling Capital" of 2015

City in southern Spain with numerous World Championship events selected by FIM as part of new annual honor

2014/05/04 - mgp - Round04 - Jerez - MotoGP - Dani Pedrosa - Repsol Honda - RC213V - ActionAndrew Northcott

Some weeks ago during the FIM Gala celebrated in Jerez de la Frontera in Spain after the Valencia MotoGP, the International Motorcycle Federation officially announced the selection of Jerez as the World Motorcycling Capital of 2015.

The nomination of the Spanish city as the reference of motorcycling racing during a whole year is a new initiative of the FIM that intends to concentrate worldwide motorcycle attention in one particular place. And the Federation figured that there is no better place to start this “experiment” than in Jerez de la Frontera, the city which hosts the mythic Spanish GP, one of the most attractive events of World Motorcycle Grand Prix Road Racing Championship.

Hundreds of thousands of bikes flow every year down to Jerez in the first week of May and invade the region where the world’s supply of sherry is produced. Over a hundred thousand of them fill the Jerez circuit to overflowing capacity to cheer on their favorite riders. So Jerez officials didn’t hesitate for a second when the nomination to be World Motorcycling Capital for 2015 was offered to them.

And what does being the World Motorcycling Capital mean? FIM and the city hall will obviously push to make something special out of it. Numerous world championship events will be held during 2015 in Jerez: MotoGP, World Superbike, Enduro World Championship, Trials World Championship, Freestyle World Championship, Supermotard Championship and one leg of the new CEV Repsol Junior World Championship, to name a few.

At the same time, the city hall will promote a lot of activities in city, like creating a Legend Avenue, nominating with motorcycle motif some of the many roundabouts that characterize Jerez, and a lot of other initiatives. “Jerez is world renowned for four major things”, explained the city’s mayor. “Our wine, for being the birthplace of flamenco, for our School of Equestrian Art, and for our motorcycle GP. Having been nominated World Motorcycling Capital is very important for our city.”