MotoGP Grand Prix of the Americas becomes latest 2020 race cancelled amid COVID

The COVID-19 pandemic has wrought havoc on the scheduled 2020 season, with all races through June on the original calendar either cancelled or postponed.

Last month, MotoGP unveiled a revised 13-round calendar beginning with back-to-back races at Jerez on 19 and 26 July.

The postponed Americas Grand Prix was due to run on 13-15 November as part of a triple-header with Argentina and Valencia, though a surge in COVID-19 cases in the state of Texas cast an Austin race in doubt.

On Friday, the FIM officially confirmed the United States MotoGP event has been cancelled for 2020, while the Argentina round is expected to suffer the same fate which is set to be confirmed next week.

MotoGP had left space on the calendar in November and early December for flyaway races, should they be possible, with a decision on that expected by the end of July.

But, revealing on its social media accounts, COTA said its 2020 MotoGP race has been scrapped and became the first circuit to confirm its 2021 date of 16-18 April.

"The 'Horsepower Rodeo' will return next year for an even bigger and better MotoGP Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas on 16-18 April, 2021," the statement read.

"This year's event on 13-15 November, 2020 has been canceled. Ticket holders will receive an email with further information."

The Horsepower Rodeo will return next year for an even bigger and better MotoGP Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas on April 16-18, 2021!

This year's event on November 13-15, 2020 has been canceled. Ticket holders will receive an email with further information. #AmericasGP pic.twitter.com/NNCyrj4u2f

— Circuit of The Americas (@COTA) July 8, 2020

COTA's cancellation means the Thailand, Malaysian and Argentine GPs will be this year's only flyaway rounds should they be given the go-ahead.

Other races which won't appear in 2020 are the Qatar, Dutch, German, Finnish, Japanese, British, Australian and Italian GP, though there will still be two rounds in Italy with the San Marino and Emilia Romagna GP. The loss of the American MotoGP round puts Formula 1's hopes of a race at COTA later in the year into doubt.

Circuit boss Bobby Epstein told Autosport last month that he was in no hurry to make a decision on whether or not to stage the US Grand Prix and claimed that it would be "easy" to organise a behind closed doors event with as little as three weeks notice.