In July 2012, Kazakh businessman
Alijan Ibragimov announced plans to build a
US$40 million (
KZ₸19 billion) motorsport facility on the outskirts of Almaty, the largest city in Kazakhstan, with construction scheduled to commence in September. RacingLoop were brought in as consultants and Hermann Tilke was charged with the design of a circuit intended to draw in
MotoGP and the
Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters, however ground was not broken until 2014. By 2016 a go-kart track and a drag strip had been opened with
Jorge Lorenzo in attendance, as circuit construction was well underway. Construction had progressed as far as electronic and timing installation by early 2019 before it ground to a halt due to political issues. On 27 September 2022, it was announced that the circuit would host the
Kazakhstan motorcycle Grand Prix until at least 2028 starting in
2023. However, due to ongoing homologation works at the circuit, paired with global operational challenges, the inaugural event was expected to be pushed back to 2024. However in 2024, the event was firstly postponed, then cancelled due to the on-going damages caused by
Central Asian floods near to the circuit. It was also not included in the 2025 calendar. ==References==