The Circuit Ricardo Tormo was built in 1999 and named in honour of Spanish two-time world Grand Prix motorcycle racing champion Ricardo Tormo (1952–1998), who won the 50cc World Championship in 1978 and 1981 and died in 1998 of leukemia before the circuit bearing his name was completed. The track measures 4.005 km with a main straight of 0.876 km and has a grandstand capacity of 165,000.
The Valencian Community Grand Prix has been held at the circuit since 1999, originally under the name Gran Premio MoviStar de la Comunitat Valenciana. Its traditional placement at or near the end of the MotoGP calendar has given it a distinctive role in the championship narrative, frequently hosting the race where the title is either clinched or decided in the final standings.
The Circuit Ricardo Tormo is characterised by a compact, anti-clockwise layout with a mix of slow to medium-speed corners and short straights. Unlike longer, higher-speed venues, the track rewards corner-exit traction and braking precision rather than top-end speed. The relatively short main straight limits slipstreaming opportunities, and the circuit's tight nature can make overtaking difficult. However, the compact layout concentrates the action and allows large crowds to follow the racing closely.
The circuit typically holds its MotoGP round in November, at the end of the racing season. The November timing brings cooler ambient and track temperatures, which can significantly affect tyre behaviour and strategy compared to earlier rounds of the year.
The Valencia race's status as a regular season finale has made it the venue for a number of championship-deciding moments in MotoGP history. The combination of championship tension and end-of-season significance has established the Valencian Community Grand Prix as one of the most watched and anticipated rounds on the calendar.
In 2024, severe flooding in the Valencia region — one of the most devastating natural disasters in recent Spanish history — forced the cancellation of the scheduled Valencian Community Grand Prix at Circuit Ricardo Tormo. A replacement round, the Barcelona motorcycle Grand Prix, was held at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya to preserve the season's closing round. The Valencia round returned to the calendar for 2025 and 2026.
Beyond MotoGP, Circuit Ricardo Tormo has hosted the World Touring Car Championship from 2005 to 2012, the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters from 2010 to 2012, a Formula E round in 2021, and has served as a pre-season Formula E testing venue since 2017. The circuit hosted the FIA Motorsport Games in October 2024.
The event has carried the Gran Premio de la Comunitat Valenciana identity throughout its history, with various title sponsors. Marlboro held the naming rights from 2000 through 2004, followed by betandwin.com and bwin.com from 2005 through 2008. Generali, an Italian insurance group, sponsored the event from 2009 through 2014. Motul, a French lubricants manufacturer, has held the title sponsorship since 2015, with the event running as the Gran Premio Motul de la Comunitat Valenciana. As of 2026 the race continues under Motul sponsorship, designated the Motul Grand Prix of Valencia.