The Grand Prix of Japan at the Twin Ring in Motegi has been postponed, Dorna announced today, round two of the MotoGP World Championship affected by the volcano eruption in Iceland.

The round has been cancelled for this weekend due to the mass disruption in air travel due to the volcanic ash that has cast a massive shadow over European airports over recently, the event proposed to be contested on 1-3 October.

With the volcano eruption postponing the Japanese round of the series, the Jerez Circuit in Spain will now mark the second round on April 30-May 2, where Australian Casey Stoner will be hoping to make amends for his disastrous crash in Qatar’s season opener.

The eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in southern Iceland on Wednesday spread a cloud of ash into the atmosphere, causing major disruption of flights throughout Europe and incoming flights from around the world due to safety concerns.

According to reports, around 30 European countries have closed down their airports, closing and restricting airspace due to the lack of vision and danger of flying the aircraft through the ash.

The decision was made by the Grand Prix Permanent Bureau, composed of the FIM president Vito Ippolito and Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta, with the agreement of the Grand Prix Promoter, Mobilityland Corporation.