MotoGP, the circuit racing championship which is to motorbikes what Formula 1 is to cars, has been bought by Liberty Media, the US media conglomerate which has controlled F1 since 2017. The seller is Spanish company Dorna Sports, which has owned MotoGP since 1992, and the sale values the competition at £3.6 billion. The transaction is expected to compete before the end of the year.
Grand Prix motorcycles are purpose-built racing machines that are unavailable for purchase by the general public and cannot legally be ridden on public roads. This contrasts with the various production-based categories of racing, such as the Superbike World Championship and the Isle of Man TT Races. The latter feature modified versions of oad-going motorcycles that the public can actually buy.
Greg Maffei, Liberty Media president and CEO, said: “MotoGP is a global league with a loyal, enthusiastic fan base, captivating racing and a highly cash flow generative financial profile. The business has significant upside, and we intend to grow the sport for MotoGP fans, teams, commercial partners and our shareholders.”
The first MotoGP season took place in 1949 with just six rounds of racing but has now grown into 20-grands prix campaign, covering five continents. Spanish rider Jorge Martin currently leads this year’s championship on 60 points with Brad Binder of South Africa on 42 points.
The next race in the series was supposed to be the Gran Premio de la Republica Argentina but that has been cancelled ostensibly due to a row over Argentinian government subsidies for the race, leaving fans waiting until 14th April for the Gand Prix of the Americas. This takes place at the circuit in Auston, Texas that will be familiar to fans of Formula 1. The British Grand Prix will this year take place on Sunday 4th August.
MotoGP is well known for the fanaticism and loyalty of it’s fanbase, and I suspect even non-fans will have heard of some legends of the sport such as Valentino Rossi. It will be interesting to see if Liberty Media can broaden the fanbase for motorcycle racing in the same was as they have for Formula 1.
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