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World Superbike
MOTOGP: Ezpeleta Details MotoGP-WSBK Relationship
Dorna will run both the MotoGP and Superbike World Championships going forward. Dorna Sports CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta broke down the specifics today in Japan.
Dorna Sports CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta (Photo: Dorna Communications)
PROGRAMMING NOTE: The Grand Prix of Japan from Motegi, Japan will air on SPEED on Sunday, October 14 at 6:00pm ET. MotoGP QP will air LIVE on SPEED2 all season long. #MotoGPonSPEED
Preceding the riders’ press conference on Thursday at the Twin Ring Motegi, Dorna Sports CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta also held a conference to explain the recent announcement of the World Superbike Championship coming under the Dorna umbrella.
"The reason for this press conference is, as all of you know, that last week it was announced by Bridgepoint, who is the mother company of Infront Sports and Media and Dorna, the decisions about Dorna and Infront Motorsports, who is the company that runs the World Superbike Championship
"One year ago, a little bit more than one year ago, Bridgepoint, who is the biggest shareholder of Dorna Sports, acquired Infront Sports and Media - the owners of Infront Motorsport, which is the company that runs World Superbike. Since Bridgepoint’s acquisition of Infront Sports and Media, we have been having several meetings with Infront Motorsports to try to adapt the technical rules of both championships. This was the main aim of Bridgepoint, trying to think of the two championships together, which can have a lot of benefits, and also many synergies.
"We had several meetings during last year, first in Madrid, then in Rome, then in Paris and finally in Donington, trying to accommodate the rules first of all. And this was impossible. So finally the decision of Bridgepoint was to maintain two championships, two separate championships as two separate companies, but both under the umbrella of Dorna Sports.
"Of course for next year things will continue as they are, and both MotoGP and WSBK will continue the same way, with exactly the same system of organization and with the same technical rules. And from now, together with the FIM, the manufacturers, the circuits and with the teams, we will try to accommodate these difficult economic times to set up two championships that are able to continue and to grow together. There will also be a collaboration with Infront Sports and Media regarding other aspects of the two championships."
Is it true that the ownership of the Superbike championship has been put directly under Dorna?
Yes, that is correct.
Why until now we haven’t had the new regulation for Superbike that Mr. Flammini announced on Sunday? Is there some change coming or is it just a matter of time?
For 2013 the regulations will be the ones that have been approved between the FIM and Infront Motorsports. For 2014, we will obviously work together with the manufacturers and the different bodies involved to change the regulations. We think that a championship derived from production bikes that is using 39 engines during one season, and in MotoGP you are using six -- to be honest it’s not very correct, and we need to set up both championships with their own spirit. One is from bikes based on production motorcycles, and another is for prototypes. This is something we will do with the FIM first, and then with the manufacturers who are involved in both championships.
Do you expect to convince BMW, Kawasaki, Aprilia and Suzuki to be in MotoGP in 2014?
No, I am not trying to convince anybody. The obligation of the organizer of the championship, together with the FIM, is to set up technical rules to make the championship. But it’s obvious that the regulations, in my opinion, in both championships are so expensive, that we need to set that up. We have been working for a long time with the MSMA here in the MotoGP championship, but this is a little bit contradictory if we are trying to reduce the cost and reduce the performance and using six engines, and the MSMA are even proposing five for next year, and then Superbike, which is theoretically for production-based bikes are using 39.
Preceding the riders’ press conference on Thursday at the Twin Ring Motegi, Dorna Sports CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta also held a conference to explain the recent announcement of the World Superbike Championship coming under the Dorna umbrella.
"The reason for this press conference is, as all of you know, that last week it was announced by Bridgepoint, who is the mother company of Infront Sports and Media and Dorna, the decisions about Dorna and Infront Motorsports, who is the company that runs the World Superbike Championship
"One year ago, a little bit more than one year ago, Bridgepoint, who is the biggest shareholder of Dorna Sports, acquired Infront Sports and Media - the owners of Infront Motorsport, which is the company that runs World Superbike. Since Bridgepoint’s acquisition of Infront Sports and Media, we have been having several meetings with Infront Motorsports to try to adapt the technical rules of both championships. This was the main aim of Bridgepoint, trying to think of the two championships together, which can have a lot of benefits, and also many synergies.
"We had several meetings during last year, first in Madrid, then in Rome, then in Paris and finally in Donington, trying to accommodate the rules first of all. And this was impossible. So finally the decision of Bridgepoint was to maintain two championships, two separate championships as two separate companies, but both under the umbrella of Dorna Sports.
"Of course for next year things will continue as they are, and both MotoGP and WSBK will continue the same way, with exactly the same system of organization and with the same technical rules. And from now, together with the FIM, the manufacturers, the circuits and with the teams, we will try to accommodate these difficult economic times to set up two championships that are able to continue and to grow together. There will also be a collaboration with Infront Sports and Media regarding other aspects of the two championships."
Is it true that the ownership of the Superbike championship has been put directly under Dorna?
Yes, that is correct.
Why until now we haven’t had the new regulation for Superbike that Mr. Flammini announced on Sunday? Is there some change coming or is it just a matter of time?
For 2013 the regulations will be the ones that have been approved between the FIM and Infront Motorsports. For 2014, we will obviously work together with the manufacturers and the different bodies involved to change the regulations. We think that a championship derived from production bikes that is using 39 engines during one season, and in MotoGP you are using six -- to be honest it’s not very correct, and we need to set up both championships with their own spirit. One is from bikes based on production motorcycles, and another is for prototypes. This is something we will do with the FIM first, and then with the manufacturers who are involved in both championships.
Do you expect to convince BMW, Kawasaki, Aprilia and Suzuki to be in MotoGP in 2014?
No, I am not trying to convince anybody. The obligation of the organizer of the championship, together with the FIM, is to set up technical rules to make the championship. But it’s obvious that the regulations, in my opinion, in both championships are so expensive, that we need to set that up. We have been working for a long time with the MSMA here in the MotoGP championship, but this is a little bit contradictory if we are trying to reduce the cost and reduce the performance and using six engines, and the MSMA are even proposing five for next year, and then Superbike, which is theoretically for production-based bikes are using 39.
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