Is Moto GP going to be the next big thing ?

I can feel it already with the Liberty Media takeover (owners of F1) Look at the "epic" social media content they've already put out. The tweets over the last 2 days.



In 2 years , Moto GP is going to be mainstream & your work colleagues and friends will be talking about it.

Take the good with the bad but I think this is going to happen.

As much as I love racing, and in particular motorbike racing, I don't have any worries about it becoming mainstream.
There aren't enough people riding bikes, or interested in motorbike racing to make the jump from niche to mainstream.

Cars are a completely different ball game.

I'd compare it to football versus waterpolo.
Most people don't swim, although in some parts many do.
Even if the game is more competitive in the latter, and you don't have the cheating and theatrics that go with the former, one is heads and shoulders above in popularity.

It'll take many years to grow the new fanbase. F1 was always the glamorous racing series. Bikes were and are for those select few who 'just put on their balls and go'.

I don't think it's a fair comparison to say 'Liberty now own MotoGP so it;s going to balloon like F1 did'

Liberty's F1 success is down to a few factors.

1. An increased presence in the US. F1 has been trying to crack the US for decades, but with american ownership, they understood more what American target audiences wanted, which is very different to what traditional/European audiences want
2. The release of 'Drive to survive'. MotoGP tried this and it was cut after 1 season
3. COVID-19 pandemic. F1 lucked in with the release of the above during COVID, which left a lot of people with time on their hands.

I don't think any of these are going to be relevant/happen in MotoGP. Also, you can already see the 'Drive to Survive' crown falling away with F1. Both the first years of races in Miami and Mas Vegas were sold out, with tickets selling for a small fortune. This yr, they were giving tickets away to both events.

It will be interesting to see what happens in the future. Liberty was able to convince the car-crazy United States that F1 was good entertainment. MotoGP is a bit different. The US is not really bike-crazy anymore--that ship has sailed now that we no longer have soldiers and contractors returning home with fat wallets and devil-may-care attitudes. However, the US does have a rich history of competitive success in the motorcycle grand prix championships, unlike Formula 1.

I do believe that motorcycle racing is inherently undervalued. Riding grand prix motorcycles is visually dramatic compared to piloting a car. The attitude of motorcycles as they navigate a track is much more dramatic than cars. Since the bikes are much smaller, they are also give a greater sense of speed at the trackside, imo.

The headwind for MotoGP is that it has moved so far in the wrong direction, it's unclear if and when a marketing blitz would be effective. During the 2024 MotoGP season, Ducati won every race except COTA. The 2027 rules package might improve the sport, but it's not guaranteed, and the bikes will probably outrun the tracks again in short order. There are no overtaking gimmicks in the pipeline, and front end grip will still probably be aero-dependent in 2027. Liberty does not have a viable track in Florida or California, nor do they have anything suitable in the Northeast.

Maybe Liberty's growth strategy is not US specific. Maybe growth is not the short-term goal. Perhaps the main play is operational efficiency, like combining GP and SBK, though I hope that doesn't happen. The number one problem they have to solve is bikes outrunning the tracks. You can't get money off of track owners and local governments, if you demand $10M in circuit improvements every half decade to deal with higher cornering g's and shorter braking areas.

I dont think they try to mimic F1, Formula 1 has always been about more then just the racing, its the exotic locations, the high fashion, the celebrities, and the parties. I think with MotoGP they need to concentrate on the racing and promoting a good racing product. I think they have a lot of room to grow MotoGP in North America, there has been a huge decline in popularity for NASCAR and INDY car, and F1 has been able to take some or that market share.

The success that the Supercross series has seen the last few years in the USA, tells me that there will be plenty of 2-wheeled racing fans for years to come.

My original comment was somewhat tongue in cheek. But i think it's possible. The Moto GP riders are all pretty cool guys. The aesthetic of the whole thing is just cool.

Who would have thought that Fox Racing gear would have went mainstream in the 2000's. Then there was Orange County choppers and West coast choppers. That was borderline mainstream back in its day. So i think motorcycles can go mainstream. (it was where i was living anyway, Vancouver Canada. Everyone wore Fox racing gear. It was a huge trend)

TeamKoolGreen said:

My original comment was somewhat tongue in cheek. But i think it's possible. The Moto GP riders are all pretty cool guys. The aesthetic of the whole thing is just cool.

Who would have thought that Fox Racing gear would have went mainstream in the 2000's. Then there was Orange County choppers and West coast choppers. That was borderline mainstream back in its day. So i think motorcycles can go mainstream. (it was where i was living anyway, Vancouver Canada. Everyone wore Fox racing gear. It was a huge trend)

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Except Marco Bezzechi, .... that guy.

#22 said:

Except Marco Bezzechi, .... that guy.

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There's good feuds in moto gp too. Certainly more than F1

I could definitely see serious growth if the Marc vs. Frantisek battle lives up to the expectations. What won't be helpful is when one rider dominates the entire season.

What's gonna help MotoGP is that there's enormous potential for fan engagement not only in the US but also in South-East Asia.
If you look at the comments section under MotoGP YouTube posts a lot of them are in Indonesian or Malaysian.

It's a long way before MotoGP reaches the popularity of F1 though.

Yes, motorbikes should be an South + East Asian heavy championship.

Sennas_Caress said:

Yes, motorbikes should be an South + East Asian heavy championship.

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When it comes to the calendar that market is pretty much saturated though. What I find baffling is that SBK doesn't go there at all.
What MotoGP should do imo is return to South America and Africa, run one or two more in North America and establish a rotation system for the Iberian rounds.

JFM01 said:

What's gonna help MotoGP is that there's enormous potential for fan engagement not only in the US but also in South-East Asia.
If you look at the comments section under MotoGP YouTube posts a lot of them are in Indonesian or Malaysian.

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Indonesia is the only place where I've seen big Pramac billboard ads including the riders and bikes. And it seems that everyone on Sumba Island is impressed that Valentino Rossi stayed there once.

Asia would be nice, but America is still the biggest consumer market, and sponsors and partners know that. Now you do not necessarily need to be in the United States to take advantage of the marketing possibilities, but you do need to be in those time zones, so South America, Mexico and even Canada could be possibilities.

Hollywood said:

Asia would be nice, but America is still the biggest consumer market, and sponsors and partners know that. Now you do not necessarily need to be in the United States to take advantage of the marketing possibilities, but you do need to be in those time zones, so South America, Mexico and even Canada could be possibilities.

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It really isn't. The EU has just as much people. Asia has more. The US consumer market size gets over inflated because of the dollar.

It made sense to focus F1 on the US but it doesn't for Moto GP.

Hollywood said:

Asia would be nice, but America is still the biggest consumer market, and sponsors and partners know that. Now you do not necessarily need to be in the United States to take advantage of the marketing possibilities, but you do need to be in those time zones, so South America, Mexico and even Canada could be possibilities.

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Do Mexico and Canada have any suitable tracks for MotoGP?
Flatrock Motorsports Park in Tennessee is probably eyeing MotoGP.
Argentina is obviously on next year's calendar but I think it'll have to be entirely privately financed or it's not gonna happen. Or is the provincial government gonna step in?

Hollywood said:

Asia would be nice, but America is still the biggest consumer market, and sponsors and partners know that.

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India, China, Indonesia and the entire South East Asia says hi!

If we go purely on numbers, China should have at least three GPs