Why MotoGP has lost popularity

The local motorcycle manufacturer KTM celebrated a “great weekend” in Spielberg with a party in orange. A second place for South African Brad Binder at the Austrian Grand Prix on Sunday fulfilled the expectations of the racing team from Mattighofen, only MotoGP World Champion Francesco Bagnaia was flawless on his Ducati. The fans celebrated a three-day motorcycle festival in Styria, even if the main race was unusually unspectacular.

A total of 173,017 spectators watched the route at the Red Bull Ring, on Sunday it was exactly 93,519. The motorbike spectacle was once again the second largest sporting event of the year in Austria after Formula 1. Compared to its colleagues on four tires, however, MotoGP has lost ground in terms of popularity in recent years. While Formula 1 was able to enjoy over 304,000 spectators a few weeks ago due to the Red Bull hype and, as in the previous year, there were hardly any seats left in the grandstands, the balance sheet in the premier class of motorcycling is significantly weaker.

This not only has to do with the resignation of superstar Valentino Rossi after the 2021 season. The “Dottore” is still omnipresent around the ring on the campsites in the form of flags and banners, this year the popular Italian was also a guest on one of his rare visits to the racetrack. The 44-year-old wrote autographs diligently, was approachable and, as team owner, shared his excitement with Marco Bezzecchi and half-brother Luca Marini, who finished third and fourth.

“You can’t bake heroes yourself. They come about through some kind of story,” emphasized KTM sports director Pit Beirer. “Valentino has shaped the sport for decades. He’s not retiring and the next Valentino is ready. Among the current GP winners there is a new champion, but some are very young.” The superior Spielberg winner Francesco Bagnaia is 26 years old and well on the way to successfully defending his world title.

However, “Pecco” is still missing a certain amount of the successes of Rossi and his arch-rival Marc Marquez. Marquez is still active, but the Spaniard is chasing successes on his ailing Honda. Twelfth place in Spielberg was the 30-year-old’s first finish in the tenth race of the season; he missed five times due to injuries after falls. Also, there aren’t really any special rivalries like Rossi and Marquez did among the current top drivers. Not to mention a successful Netflix series like “Drive to Survive” about Formula 1.

“We are friends, we also spend a lot of time off the track,” said Bagnaia about his relationship with his Italian compatriot Bezzecchi, one of his biggest competitors. The third in the World Championship drives a Ducati, just like Bagnaia, as does Jorge Martin (2nd), Johann Zarco (5th) and Marini (6th). The animosity among the Ducatis is at least limited, and KTM hopeful Binder usually has a smile on his face as fourth in the World Championship.

The 28-year-old extended his contract early in Spielberg until 2026 and gave the organizers special praise at the home race. “Hats off to the organizers. They did an incredible job, and the podium is the coolest on the calendar,” said Binder. Spielberg is a role model for other races. The Red Bull Ring’s contract with MotoGP runs until 2025, and many riders really appreciate the track and the atmosphere in the mountains. This is always “incredible”, emphasized, among others, KTM driver Jack Miller.

MotoGP returned to Styria in August 2016, with 215,850 spectators at the time – significantly more than Formula 1 (85,000). In the years that followed, the numbers turned. Nevertheless, the motorcycle racing series can draw a satisfied balance this year, compared to 2022 (167,850) there was a slight increase. “MotoGP is extremely attractive at the moment,” emphasized Beirer, with attendance records everywhere in the first eight races of the season. And: “The guys who are up front all deserve hero status. We all wish that a Valentino would get back on its feet. But he left big footsteps.”