Liberty Media has ruffled a few feathers of avid MotoGP fans since buying the category last year, but Mick Doohan sees the US-based conglomerate’s presence in the sport as nothing but a positive.
The latest move that has disappointed MotoGP fans is the decision to move it. Australian Grand Prix From his long-time home on Phillip Island to Adelaide’s new road circuit.
Former Grand Prix motorcycle racer Keith Huan called the decision ‘sad’And MotoGP fans joined him in expressing their dismay. On the premier class, moving from one of the most popular circuits on the calendar.
However, while pure MotoGP fans are less than thrilled with Liberty Media’s alleged plans for the future of the sport, the American media conglomerate is widely understood to be growing the sport in a similar fashion to F1’s record profits in recent years.
In this sense, the legend of the premier class Mick Doohan It’s all for them.
Mick Doohan hopes Liberty Media’s buyout of MotoGP will return the sport to its ‘glory days’.
During a look at Racing Back Podcast With MotoGP icons Nick Harris and Julian Ryder now at the wheel of the series, the five-time world champion was asked his thoughts on the future of the premier class with Liberty Media.
Doohan said, “Look, who knows? They’ve done well in Formula 1, that’s for sure.”
“So, if we bring that bit into motorcycling, even though the sport is doing well, get a revival back to its former glory days.
But to try and get more eyes on the bikes, I think that can’t be a bad thing, especially trying to recover some of the lost ground over the last decade in the US market and then, similarly, in the UK.
“It would be great to restore MotoGP to being a household name in the UK, wouldn’t it?”
While they may not be very popular among purists, the figures surrounding the liberal media’s Formula 1 revival cannot be understated.
In the year Since winning the championship in 2017, F1’s value has increased by over 350%, while revenue and team valuations are also showing massive growth.
It has also seen the sport gain traction in key markets such as the US, where global television audiences have risen from around 352 million in 2017 to 1.6 billion by the 2024 season.
Liberty Media has been advised to make several changes to the MotoGP following the change of the Australian GP
Despite the furor over Phillip Island’s fall from the premier class calendar, it is expected to be the first of many for the new MotoGP owners to make their mark on the sport.
Several F1-style rule changes have been made. KTM is also lobbying to promote independent media spending. Contrast that with those who don’t have the luxury to level the playing field between factories with endless financing.
One we could see in action this season is the introduction of an F1-style team radio.
A few drivers on the grid have already tested the new feature. Emphasizing that Marc Marquez is not important For motorcycle racing.
Ducati team-mate Francesco Bagnaia was one of the few riders chosen to test the in-ear radio and said it took some getting used to.
