Dorna Boss Reflects on 2005

[R1 Biker]

Dorna Boss Reflects on 2005
NOVEMBER 2005

Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta looks back on the 2005 MotoGP World Championship

The 57th season of MotoGP World Championship racing has been a fitting reflection of everything the series should stand for, with its rich history and tradition combining with innovation and the future. As well as arriving in new countries such as China and Turkey, opening up vital new markets and commercial opportunities for the sport, we also returned to the USA after more than a decade, whilst on-site crowds and television audiences continued to rise in the more established host countries. The return to Laguna Seca was hugely successful, with a sell-out crowd for race day and enormous interest in the event from all over the world. From a personal point of view this was probably the highlight of the season because it was something we had worked on for a long time and to see the dream finally become a reality was very satisfying.

On the track the action has been just as exciting and I could not look back on 2005 without paying tribute to the achievements of Valentino Rossi. Valentino has proved beyond doubt that he is the greatest rider of his generation and his talent, showmanship and continued motivation to be the best play a huge part in making MotoGP one of the most attractive sports in the world. However, this year has not just been about Valentino and the emergence of bright new talents such as Marco Melandri and Nicky Hayden provided a dramatic end to the year, as well as an exciting glimpse into the future.

The 250cc class also provided the stage for some of the world’s most exciting young racers to showcase their talents and we can expect to be seeing a lot more of riders such as Dani Pedrosa, Casey Stoner and Jorge Lorenzo in the near future. In the 125cc class I was particularly pleased to see the emergence of riders from countries such as Switzerland, Finland and Hungary, who have boosted the interest in MotoGP in their respective homeland as well as providing the international diversity that a top level World Championship demands. It is a factor we at Dorna are constantly working on, with projects such as the MotoGP Academy, which has also enjoyed a great deal of success in 2005.

We have also been working to boost terrestrial television coverage of the series and this season we added further national free-to-air networks to our distribution list for live or same day delayed broadcasts of MotoGP, bringing the total to 48 networks in more than 200 countries across all five continents. It means that we now have an average television audience of over 300 million viewers worldwide for each race.

At the circuits themselves we have seen weekend attendances rise on last season at every single Grand Prix, other than Portugal and Great Britain, which were both hit by rain on race day. That is a phenomenal achievement and I would like to thank everybody involved in making it happen – from the riders themselves to the manufacturers, teams, circuit organizers, paddock staff, the media and the fans. Hopefully these numbers can continue to grow in 2006 and we can look forward to continuing success for our sport.

Carmelo Ezpeleta

CEO, Dorna Sports S.L.