Carmelo Ezpeleta (Dorna): The beginning of a new era / MotoGP

The official start of the American Grand Prix could not have been better. Dorna’s top management was gathered on the press platform with managing director Carmelo Ezpelata, Carlos Ezpeleta in charge of business and marketing director Dan Rossomondo.

The three executives of the organizer and rights holder of the MotoGP motorcycle road world championship, which has been responsible for 32 years, spoke for the first time in their own words about the acquisition by the sports marketing giant Liberty Media, which will replace the clearly the majority of the Dorna organization by 86 percent.

Carmelo Ezpeleta, who has been leading for more than three decades, summarized the important facts of the agreement and emphasized, saying clearly: “The contract with Liberty Media gives us our game, which we were able to develop together into something great, the opportunity to grow even more. A step forward, of personally emotional that we are very happy. With this official announcement a new era begins.”

There was also news at a 15-minute press event. Dorna management confirmed that the takeover of the American Liberty Media group includes all rights organizations. Medium and long-term modifications of the pending models of MotoE, JuniorGP, current talent factories and the Superbike World Championship are possible for new owners.

In the short term, that much is certain, there will be and cannot be any changes to any series, because the real takeover, in the best case, will take until the end of 2024. According to Carlos Ezpeleta, there is a process parallel to the schedule that now needs to be worked on . So we won’t see a strategic overhaul to the MotoGP format until 2025 at the earliest.

Management also commented on further internationalization and a potential racing calendar in the coming years. Carmelo Ezpeleta: “In the long term, the growth of MotoGP in new markets cannot be ruled out. We accept that more than 22 races are not realistic, which means if there were any changes then the European races would be reduced. For now, we want to stick to the current calendar until and with 2026.

The head of MotoGP from Madrid also promises stability at the operational level. We as Dorna will continue to maintain an independent company structure in our current headquarters.

Finally, the 77-year-old Ezpeleta openly praised the team’s exceptional character throughout the World Cup. The connection between the organizers, the FIM, the manufacturers and all the teams as well as the international fans represents a unique value that now needs to be spread with the combined forces and the best conditions.