“It’s too easy to talk”: the Thursday dispatch from Texas
Portugal had it all, and the stage is set for the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas to deliver even more. First, the podcast welcomed Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Brad Binder to the show, before a special press conference with Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta, Chief Commercial Officer Dan Rossomondo and Chief Sporting Officer Carlos Ezpeleta – for more on that, see below.
The first press conference for the riders then got in gear, with Championship leader Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) joined by Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team), aka the current top three in the Championship.
Then, after news earlier this week that Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) had signed a new contract with Yamaha, he joined Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team), Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) and rookie Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) for press conference two.
Here are some photos and quotes from the opening day at COTA!
JORGE MARTIN
How confident are you heading into this weekend?
“I am very happy with the start of the season so far, and I think our target is to be better than the years before because I struggled quite a lot last season at COTA, and my target is to be better than last year. It will be a big challenge as there will be many strong rivals this weekend, but I feel confident that we will do a good job and I feel in good physical condition, which is important here as last season I struggled a lot as I had a fever and was taking antibiotics, so I am hoping I can be one of the best.”
BRAD BINDER
How much are you looking forward to this weekend?
“For sure, it is exciting to get going again, this track is very special and has a little bit of everything, so it is important to find a rhythm and have a good pace as it is a long lap, and that is my goal going into the weekend. In Portimao, unfortunately, I struggled from the first session; I couldn’t find my feet, and then I, unfortunately, crashed in the Sprint and fourth in the main race with a lot of help in front of me, but I am really keen to have another go here as the step between 2022 and 2023 was huge, and I expect a step like that this weekend.”
ENEA BASTIANINI
What is it about COTA that you like so much?
“I have great memories from 2022 here at COTA and it was fantastic to have a great victory here. I come from a great podium in Portimao, and I am also confident at the moment and let’s see if we can continue in this direction. I think we have a good set-up at the moment at every track, and this is important. Let’s see if I can be fast at COTA as physically, it is one of the most difficult races.”
PECCO BAGNAIA
Is this year at COTA about redemption from last year?
“Let’s see, it is a track that I like, and last year, I was very competitive and feeling great but I crashed and made a mistake in the race. I think we can be competitive again, it is a different track compared to Portimao so let’s see what we can do and improve the feeling from Portimao which caused me some trouble in the race.”
PEDRO ACOSTA
It seems expectations around you are changing already… are they for you too? And how much are you looking forward to riding a MotoGP™ bike around COTA?
“We don’t have expectations anymore; it is too easy to talk, and we are not in the moment to think about this. We need to be realistic and not aim for results after two races. As you said, it would be super nice, as last season, I enjoyed riding a Moto2™ bike around COTA, so let’s try and enjoy!”
MARC MARQUEZ
What are your chances of winning here on the Ducati?
“Obviously, we now arrive at a good race track for my style, and in the past, we have achieved a lot of good results. But at Portimao, there are three or four riders faster than me, so let’s see if we are closer here. If today (Thursday) you said you would achieve a first podium, I would sigh as a podium must arrive before a victory, so let’s see step by step.”
FABIO QUARTARARO
Did you discuss signing with other manufacturers before signing with Yamaha?
“Of course, we spoke to different manufacturers, and the decision was not easy, but in Portugal, we had a meeting with top management from Yamaha to discuss the project from now to the end of the year and 2025/2026. There are some really interesting things which are still confidential in Yamaha, like new people. The project is going to be huge so the decision was made in Portugal.”
ICYMI: MotoGP™’s touchdown in Texas
Above: Marco Bezzecchi (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) and teammate Fabio Di Giannantonio headed courtside with Houston Rockets, with ‘Bez’ taking the honorary free throw to tip off the evening’s entertainment.
Then, Trackhouse Racing’s Miguel Oliveira and Raul Fernandez headed into Downtown Austin for a photo op near the Capitol Building, showing off that stunning star-spangled livery and an Aprilia Racing machine too.
Special Press Conference: Liberty Media to acquire MotoGP™
Ahead of lights out on the track action at the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas, a special Press Conference saw Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta joined by Chief Commercial Officer Dan Rossomondo and Chief Sporting Officer Carlos Ezpeleta to talk about the recent announcement that Liberty Media is to acquire MotoGP™. Here are some snippets from the event.
Carmelo Ezpeleta spoke first, outlining the news.
“Last week, we made a very special announcement that Liberty Media 86% of Dorna. The agreement is set to be completed at the end of the year, subject to regulatory approvals, during which time we will continue with our current shareholder’s structure. Even after the agreement, Dorna will continue to operate as an independent company based in Spain and with our current management. We are extremely happy with our agreement and to be able to share it with the world. We are very excited to be able to work with Liberty Media once it is complete; this will be the perfect step in the evolution of MotoGP™, as Liberty Media has a great track record in developing sports success. I want to thank the paddock, the FIM, manufacturers, teams, and riders. I am very happy and enthusiastic about welcoming more fans every day so we can share all the excitement behind the sport together.”
Having been CEO of Dorna since 1994, and with the company since 1991, Carmelo Ezpeleta also shared his personal emotions regarding the news.
“All of you have known me for over 30 years, and this is a result of our work together. I am extremely happy to see everyone here, from the press to the fans who make this possible. One sport that we started with in 1992 at a different level, and now we are one of the most important sports in the world. I think all of you must be very proud that we have this possibility; I remember the difficult days during the pandemic when we worked together and made this possible. And this is one step more in history which has been possible because of your help in the last 32 years.”
Here are a few more of the questions asked at the event.
Will we have more races outside of Europe?
Carmelo Ezpeleta: “Until 2026 we will continue more or less as we are with maybe some changes. We cannot do more than 22 races, and if we have to open more markets, then there will be more races outside of Europe, but not until 2027.”
What changes can fans expect?
Dan Rossomondo: “I am very conscious of our hardcore fans and how special they think our sport is, and I tend to go on deep rabbit holes of Reddit and Twitter feeds where I see that people do not want much change to our sport, but those same fans also want to be able to share this sport with others, and I think that is what we are going to focus on, and we have been focussing on it. We have been doing a lot over the past year and previous ones before me on how to make this spectacle transcend motorsport and become more culturally relevant, so it’s about preaching that and shouting it from the rooftops.”
Carlos Ezpeleta: “As we keep saying the deal will not be finalised before the end of 2024. I think as we were saying and as fans that we are of the sport, fans will only have things to look forward to and more people to share their fandom with. Liberty does not think that the sport needs fixing, and we agree with that. We think that we have an amazing sport that we have built together with all the stakeholders in the paddock. I think we will work together and a lot of the things that we have already initiated in the past couple of seasons, like big changes to our format, which is trying to increase the visibility and awareness of our sport globally while continuing to satisfy our traditional fans and markets. Once the deal is completed, I don’t think there will be a lot of big changes that will affect our current fans.”
What does Liberty see in MotoGP™?
Dan Rossomondo: “They have seen the great potential that this sport has, and I think that is the very important thing. They are very happy with the business, and they think they can add to that once this deal is approved. The really important piece is how they feel this sport is evocative of the emotions that people have in their lives: that it is so exciting, that it inspires courage, and the riders are so athletic. They saw the same potential that I saw when I started one year ago, so that to me is a big part of this as they see this is a tremendous opportunity.”
FIM MiniCUP USA gears up for a new era!
The MiniCUP USA took centre stage at COTA kart track on Thursday, with some familiar faces from the MotoGP™ paddock paying a visit to the launch event. Part of the FIM MiniGP World Series, which is the first initiative in global motorsport aimed at creating grassroots equality, the MiniCUP USA will prove a key stepping stone for the stars of tomorrow. Now a key figure in the competition, John Hopkins was on site as well as the likes of Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse Racing) and Joe Roberts (OnlyFans American Racing). Multiple SX champion Ryan Villopoto even dropped in!
Official MotoGP Press Release
