The sticking point for many international motorsport events is the sanctioning fee. The organizers argue that the event brings substantial tax revenue to the area and that some taxing authority should be responsible for at least part of the sanctioning fee. In Texas, the $25M sanctioning fee is paid by the state special event fund, though Austin may have been subsidizing the event indirectly as well.
Public subsidies for sanctioning fees is important concept because it introduces geopolitics to sport, and that's part of the reason I often highlight the European takeover of MotoGP. Europe is the heart of MotoGP, and it still hosts over half of the calendar. Are European governments content to pay escalating sanctioning fees with public money to fund a sport that highlights Japanese motorcycles? Spain, maybe, since their main concern is keeping Dorna at the helm, but for the rest of Europe, as their monetary investment in the sport has grown, they have begun playing hardball.
People talk about cyclical changes in motorsport, but that's probably not what's occurring. The introduction of ride height looks more like a coordinated strategy that was meant to level the playing field, but the system is more powerful than many in the GPC realized. The Japanese have been humiliated on the track. Suzuki withdrew, and I suspect they are completely disenchanted with international motorsport, regardless of their face-saving press releases about corporate strategy and profit.
The more manufacturers the better, but if the GPC hope to balance the needs of global manufacturers, they will need more sophisticated arrangement regarding technical regulations. Accidentally dunking on the Japanese is not the sign of competent leadership. Top Japanese bike is 14th in the championship right now. Three years ago, Yamaha and Quartararo won the riders title.
Ride height has been a disaster. Good thing we won't be watching the bikes lower themselves in Kazakhstan
