Bridgepoint brings together MotoGP and World Superbikes

"We're very excited to have the two top motorcycle road racing series under one roof" - Carmelo Ezpeleta, Dorna.
Lorenzo, Pedrosa, Crutchlow, Aragon MotoGP 2012
Lorenzo, Pedrosa, Crutchlow, Aragon MotoGP 2012
© Gold and Goose

Bridgepoint has announced that Dorna Sports and Infront Sports & Media have reached agreement to bring both their motorcycle racing interests𒁃 under a single umbrella organi🧸sation.

Dorna is the or💫ganiser of the MotoGP World Championship and Infront the World Superbike Championship. Private equity group Bridgepoint, majority shareholder of Dorna since 2006, acquired Infront Sports & Media last September.

The new changes - which could have far reaching implications on the future of both series - mean that both MotoGP and WS🅷BK will be integrated within the Dorna Sports group, but managed as separate events.

Both championships now feature 1000cc motorcycles. MotoGP, which began in 1949, is for grand prix prototypes and WSBK, founded in 1988, for production-based bikes ♚- although in terms of track performance th💞ere is only a few seconds between them.

The objective of the move '🥂is to allow both series to develop and enhance their championship personalities, retaining their leadership positions in the arena of world motorcycle road racing - WorldSBK, with its focus on production-based racing, and MotoGP with its focus on prototype racing. At the same time, both championships will benefit fr꧙om joint marketing and commercial strategies'.

As such, alongside the re-organisation, Infront has been appointed as marketing partner and ♈global advisor to both championships.

Philippe Blatter, the president of Infront Sports, descri♈bed the decision a🧔s 'win-win'.

"Under the new structure, the two leading motorcycle road racing events are now set for sustainable further growth ༒and development. A true win-win 🎐situation has been created," he said.

"Both Dorna and Infront can now further strengthen and focus on their core competencies and, in addition, a💞chieve leading positions in their specific area of ꩵexpertise."

Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of Dorna Sports, added: "We're very excited to have the two top moܫtorcycle road racing series under one roof.

"We fully expect to develop and strengthen the distinct nature of both MotoGP and WorldSBK as separate properties and remain commi💦tted to working with teams and manufacturers, circuit owners, sponsors and broadcasters to give fans the best experience yet."

With both championships run by the same orga🐼nisation, greater changes to the technical rules can be expected in order to carve a clearer distinction between them.

It should also help Dorna push ahead with some of its🍷 more radical cost-cutting plans for MotoGP, without fearing that WSBK could🍬 take advantage.

For exa♑mple, if MotoGP clamps down on electronics, it is logical to believe that WSBK will noꦜw do likewise - and to an even greater level, thus allowing MotoGP to retain the technological high ground.

Attempts might also be made to tid♊y up some of the CRT 'issues', related to the superbike-powered prototypes that ca💯n now race as a privateer MotoGP entry.

At present the CRT engine performance is lower than in WSꦆBK, due to MotoGP's limit on engine-changesꦉ.

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