MotoGP Experiences Exponential Growth In America

MotoGP is growing at a rapid pace in America after Dorna Sports inked a deal with Fox Sports. MotoGP, a global phenomenon, is experiencing a 53% year-after-year growth in its American broadcast viewership.

Brothers Alex and Marc Marquez have taken the world by storm, dominating MotoGP in a rare show of force from a pair of brothers competing in the same series. Marc currently leads Alex in the standings, providing a nice family touch to a growing sport.

The Americas GP Sprint at Circuit of the Americas averaged 66.1K viewers on FS2, up 30% from the Argentina GP on FS1 and 86% over last season’s Sprint average. The Americas GP race drew 122.9K viewers on FS1, up 24% from the Argentina GP on FS2 and 259% over last season’s GP average.

The growth is not surprising, as the NTT IndyCar Series’ debut year on Fox is also seeing a surge in the open-wheel division’s audience, as well.

“We know we have a responsibility to build this sport here, because there is such a there’s a very, very significant core fan base that we want to expand, but we also have to serve that existing fan base as well,” MotoGP CCO Dan Rossomondo said.

But the partnership with Fox is what truly has MotoGP officials and its fans excited about the sport’s trajectory. The two-year deal enables some stability for the series, along with an opportunity for new fans to be introduced to it.

“We’re going to get some new people trialing our sport, and I think once you trial it, you’ll love it,” Rossomondo said.

MotoGP is unique amongst motor sports, as its races are only 45 minutes long. It easily fits into an hour-long TV slot, and it’s perfect for fans in an era when no one can sit still for several hours.

Similar to Formula 1, because it is an international series, MotoGP’s races often air at crazy hours in America. On the east coast, that could mean an 8 a.m. event on Sunday mornings or 5 a.m. on the west coast.

“We don’t want to just rely on the 22 races that we have this year,” Rossomondo said.

The growth for MotoGP should only continue, with the anticipated 86% acquisition of MotoGP by Liberty Media. Dorna Sports will remain as a 14% owner of the series. The move will only further align MotoGP with an international flare.

And in America, Trackhouse Racing, owned by Justin Marks, started a MotoGP team to branch out his team. With riders Raúl Fernández and Ai Ogura, sitting 18th and 12th in the standings, respectively, America’s presence in the sport is growing.

“To me, the biggest thing that Justin brings is just a fresh eye on the sport,” Rossomondo said of Marks, who owns a Nascar team. “It takes a long time to get acclimated inside of our paddock, and he’s got a lot of things going on. But he really just brings a new perspective, and it’s a fresh perspective and he’s always asking the right questions.”

In addition to the Fox deal, MotoGP struck another deal with a major American firm. Harley-Davidson formed a new Harley-Davidson championship series that will launch next year. The 12-race series will compete during six Grand Prix, with six to eight teams.

“We want to get more eyeballs on us in the United States, and that was the kind of combination we made,” Rossomondo said of the partnership. We’re going to build out a garage for them that’s going to be a unique area inside our fan zone. We’re going to build it out differently, and it’s going to look different than our paddock.”

MotoGP will compete this weekend with the GoPro Grand Prix of Aragon.