Is MotoGP in Trouble?
Tuesday, June 29th, 2010By Ed
If recent reports are to be believed then the answer is a firm yes. A few years back MotoGP was on a crest as crowds flocked to the live races to see fairing-to-fairing action and the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time), nine times World Champion Valentino Rossi. TV crowds increased as viewers, disillusioned with overpaid footballers or the same teams winning the same trophies, flocked to the unpredictability of the fastest motorcycles, the greatest riders and the hottest women.
However, recent reports have shown that things are now taking a turn for the worse not helped, it’s said, by the sudden loss from the sport by the aforementioned Valentino Rossi.
Television data from the Assen MotoGP race shows a collapse in Italy with the 2010 GP receiving 2,570,000 viewers and a 16.79% share of the market. Compare this to 2009 which saw viewing figures of 5,249,000 and a 31.69% market share, this includes the Moto2 and 125 classes.
Ex World Champion Wayne Gardner recently joined in the battle with his own take on the Assen MotoGP. He called the new circuit a “pale, soulless version of its former self”. He went on to say that the less than 100,000 crowd that turned out at the weekend, pales in comparison to the 200,000 spectators that used to turn out on race day alone.
Gardner goes on to say the race is just like any other as it’s lost its prestige. With just 15 bikes on the grid (and in Gardners words “two of those where ridden by over-the-hill test riders that no could care less about watching”) and Suzuki seemingly just making up the numbers these days, he worries that they may well follow Kawasaki and withdraw completely from the Championship next year. Thus reducing the grid even further.
If this were to happen there’d be an extraordinary situation of more points being available than there are actual riders available to claim them!
Gardner continues by claiming the 800s are delivering “the most boring races of all the GP classes”, that the whole thing was “glued together by the Rossi phenomenon” and “emergency action is required to prevent MotoGP becoming a thing of the past”.
Is this unfair however? Look at what’s going on in the World at the moment and wider reasons for dwindling interest could be more of an explanation. Italy and Spain are undoubtedly the two big hitters in terms of riders and followers, they also happen to be two huge football teams competing in the World Cup over the last few weeks.
A global recession is still hanging around like a fart under a duvet and a trip to the MotoGP isn’t cheap. In the UK, along with most of Europe, we’re enjoying a prolonged spell of immensely good weather. Wouldn’t we sooner be out on our bikes then sat in a very warm living room in front of the TV?
Haven’t we also been here before? Around 1994 to 1998 during the 500 GP years when Mick Doohan was dominating the series? There were no new manufacturers entering and only three actual brands in Honda, Yamaha and Suzuki. Despite this, MotoGP continued to grow, as did World Superbikes.
So, are Dorna doing anything about this? Do they even see it as a problem? There are calls for Camelo Ezpeleta’s resignation citing these ratings as signs that MotoGP is doomed unless something happens! It’s not clear if this will happen but we doubt it.
There are changes coming in 2012 to have 1,000cc motorcycles on the grid. This should bring more manufacturers though this could be at the expense of World Superbikes. It’s unlikely, in these hard and fast times, that manufacturers will put two teams of 1,000cc bikes up in different championships. The costs would surely prove too prohibitive. Then again, if the whole reason behind racing is to sell motorcycles, then perhaps the World Superbikes, which is closer to ‘stock’ motorcycles, will win out?
Aprilia are rumored to already be interested in entering the 2012 GP series, it’s not clear if they will continue in the World Superbikes as well. Surely a 1,000cc MotoGP series without Aprilia and BMW (along with existing manufacturers) would be seen as a disaster? The BMW S1000 RR has been getting rave reviews from the press and, whilst it’s not quite yet translated the power to the circuits, it is coming good and it will surely only be a matter of time before it wins an SBK race. It’s already dominating the Superstock series with Ayrton Badovini leading the championship by 59 points.
Aprilia’s RSV4 meanwhile has been in impressive form under Max Biaggi, regularly winning both races in a weekend.
So, what does the future hold for MotoGP, or for that matter World Superbikes? That’s not completely clear but saying MotoGP is in trouble is probably hitting the panic button a tad too early. It’s doubtful the two championships would merge, and that’s probably right. However, there has always been a ‘gentlemen’s agreement’ between the two, to never step on each other’s toes. From 2012, the two championships will be going toe-to-toe battling for your eyes and hard earned cash…which will you be watching?
This is all a bit silly of Gardener. Bike racing, even at MotoGP level, is more of a blue collar sport than F1. People are skint. I think that explains the drop in attendances.
He has a point on TV viewing, perhaps, but again with the world cup on and no Rossi figures were always going to drop. World Cup football eats viewers from anything else, especially in places like Italy and Spain.