The Mayoress of Jerez vindicates the history of the Circuito de Jerez-Ángel Nieto at the presentation of the programme of events for the 40th anniversary.

18 February 2025 The Mayoress of Jerez, María José García Pelayo, has presented the programme of events for the 40th anniversary of the Circuito de Jerez-Ángel Nieto that will take place from March to November with a programme that will combine art, culture and will pay tribute to the fans and to ‘all those who have burnt the tyre’. The celebration will conclude with a final gala where people, institutions and individuals who have played a vital role in the history of the Circuit will be recognised.

The mayoress was accompanied at the event by the first vice-president of the Provincial Council, Juan José Ortiz, members of the municipal government and of the Corporation, the managing director of the Jerez-Ángel Nieto Circuit, Cayetano Gómez, employees of the circuit and members of the Local Motorcycle Council. María José García-Pelayo paid special deference to the 40th anniversary commissariat, which has prepared the programme of events.

The mayoress defended the need to highlight the 40 years of the Circuito de Jerez. "Whatever they say, whatever they talk about, the Circuito de Jerez is the best circuit in the world. Now that we are talking about cultural assets, I think that if there is an asset of sporting interest, it is the Circuito de Jerez", she pointed out.

In her speech, the mayoress made it clear that ‘we should not focus on what the Jerez circuit is now, but on what our circuit can be in the future’. The circuit ‘has been changing its appearance over the years; various works have been carried out to improve it and adapt it to the requirements of the FIM, important works to guarantee the safety of those who race, but also of those who come to enjoy the motorbikes’, she said.

In this sense, the mayoress recalled that after the repair of turns 1, 2, 5, 7 and 10, which have changed the appearance of the circuit, including the installation of new non-permanent grandstands for events such as the MotoGP, work is now being carried out on turns 6 and 13 for more than one million euros. Not forgetting ‘that work is being carried out on the Torre de Autoridades, which has been awaited for a long time and which has finally been tackled’, he said.

The mayoress recalled that the circuit has a permanent activity of 270 days throughout the year". An activity that translates into an economic return of more than 25 million during the GP and that therefore, ‘the circuit and the Motorcycle GP have become an event that contributes in a clear way to the generation of employment and to the promotion not only at national but also at international level’.

García-Pelayo recalled the history of the Circuito de Jerez and its commitment to Spain and the two-wheel fans. ‘Jerez is the circuit of all Spain, it is the circuit where the only Spanish Grand Prix is held’. Since "1987 we have been deans of the celebration of the Spanish GP. It has been 40 years since 1985 that we have been holding the Spanish Motorcycle Grand Prix, a total of 39 GPs". A total of 39 have been held to date, 37 of them under the name of the Spanish Grand Prix, as in 1988 it was called the Portuguese Grand Prix and in 2020, the second consecutive Grand Prix organised to coincide with the pandemic was called the Andalusian Grand Prix.

María José García Pelayo defended this 40th anniversary throughout her speech. ‘We understand that the circuit deserves a celebration for its 40th anniversary not only from a sporting point of view, because it has consolidated us as a great sporting city, as the cathedral of two-wheeled motorcycling that it is, but also for what it has contributed to our city, to the province of Cadiz, to Andalusia and, of course, to Spain’, she stressed.

However, this celebration "does not seek to pay tribute to ourselves, we seek to pay tribute to the public, to the City Council as the institution or administration on which Cirjesa depends. With this 40th anniversary we want to pay tribute to all those who have burnt tyres on this asphalt and, above all, to those who have occupied the stands from Pelouse to the VIP grandstands; we have to thank them all for their passion and dedication with their love for two wheels, which have made the Circuito de Jerez the best in the world", he added.

In another moment, the mayoress recalled the work of the curatorship that is altruistically chaired by Jesús Benítez and that counts on the presence of Raúl Zarzuela, Consuelo García and Álvaro Rivero. ‘The 40th anniversary deserves a special celebration, a celebration that has been taken care of in detail because it comes from all those who work on a daily basis at the circuit and who know how the circuit throbs, how it feels,’ she assured.

Other Local Motoring Council events will join in the 40th anniversary celebrations and so will Ángel Nieto's family. "It is important that the family has a very special place because the circuit is named after him. It will be a beautiful year not only for motor racing fans but also a very special year for the whole of Jerez," he concluded.

40th anniversary programme of events

• Photographic exhibition at the Pescadería Vieja from 21 to 27 April that will take a photographic journey through the key historic moments year by year. It will be inaugurated the week of the MotoGP 2025 Motorcycle World Championship.
• Collage of photographs of biker atmosphere, with all the photographs a collage will be made with the figure of the VIP Platform (UFO), iconic image that represents the Circuito de Jerez. This composition, in large format, will be exhibited in a visible place for the fans during the celebration of MotoGP and later in a priority place at the entrance of the new Museum. It will be on display from 1 April to 1 June 2025.
• Mural painting competition at the Circuit from 1-31 March on the concrete walls surrounding the track a large graffiti will be painted. The theme will be motor racing and the Circuito de Jerez. It will be visible in all the broadcasts as it will be practically on the track.  
• Conference and round table about the history of the Jerez circuit with participants from Jerez society, journalism and motor racing, who have been protagonists of these 40 years of history. It will take place at the UFO Platform of the Circuito de Jerez during the month of March
• Lap of honour during the MotoGP 2025 celebration.
• Concentration of 80s cars to be held in the González Hontoria Park on 20 September. There will be a fan zone, food trucks and a music and entertainment stage.
• Great Biker Meeting in the González Hontoria Park. The motorbike caravans will leave from different parts of the province. In these towns the start will be organised in a central point, with a starting arch; it will be on 27 September 2025.
• Inauguration of the Travelling Exhibition of 40 years of history in the Claustros de Santo Domingo during the month of November.
• Presentation of the 40th Anniversary book. The book 40th Anniversary of the Circuito de Jerez aims to be one of the solid pillars for this historic commemoration of the first permanent track built in Spain. Under the direction of Jesús Benítez, Álvaro Rivero and Raúl Zarzuela, this exceptional publication aims to be an unforgettable, cult legacy, based on the epic, origins, memorable events, records, protagonists, data, statistics and images of impact that leave written and graphic memory. The presentation will be on 12 November.
• A Final Gala will be the closing event of the celebrations in November. An institutional event which will be attended by representatives of the different administrations (City Council, Provincial Council, Junta, CSD and State), representatives of the different motorcycling and motor racing federations (FAM, FAA, RFEM, RFEDA, FIM and FIA), representatives of the motor racing world (drivers, teams, journalists), representatives of the Jerez society and people who have been an important part of the 40 years of history of the Circuit. Awards and acknowledgements will be presented to the people or institutions that have played a vital role in these 40 years.