Silverstone safe amid MotoGP calendar shake-up, chiefs insist
MotoGP chiefs have insisted their Silverstone race is safe despite plans for a drastic shake-up to the motorsport’s calendar.
After signing a major deal with the five manufacturers – akin to Formula 1’s governing Concorde Agreement – which formalises the commercial framework across the sport until 2031, MotoGP will now look to grow an organisation in which F1 owner Liberty Media bought a majority stake for £4bn last year.
Central to that plan is expanding MotoGP’s global footprint by holding more races beyond its European heartlands. But chief sporting officer Carlos Ezpeleta told Morning Wire that the British leg of the calendar, held at Silverstone, would not come under threat.
“We’re a global sport – we’re actually one of the few really global sports where you have global fandom dispersed around the globe on a pretty proportional level,” he added.
“A big part of the fan base is spread across the world. We are a sport that was born in Europe and [is] over-indexed right now in the south of Europe.
“We currently have 14 [races] in Europe, eight outside. That will be 13 in Europe and nine outside next year, and probably 50-50 quite quickly – maybe within three years from now I could see that being 50-50.”
MotoGP growth markets
The new agreement will see teams paid a fixed fee for participation in MotoGP, rather than a percentage of the organisation’s profits, while Ezpeleta said he hoped that teams currently trading for $50m could be worth $250m, or even billions, in the future.
And, like Formula 1 with its plan to return to Africa, Moto GP is exploring new markets to maximise growth.
“There are amazing events in Europe that will always be in the calendar but we’re bringing in two new events overseas next year, in Buenos Aires and Adelaide,” Ezpeleta said.
“Those are two huge accomplishments for us next year. We have our eyes set [on] continuing to grow the race count outside of Europe.
“A second race in the United States, when it’s right and when we’re ready; south-east Asia; the Middle East; and Africa is also a conversation that we’re having.”