Marco Bezzecchi
Liberty Media are looking to change the spectacle of MotoGP and increase its global audience, and their latest suggestion is to have show bikes for the riders at each race weekend.
The American media company took over as MotoGP owners last year and are hoping to have the meteoric success that they had with Formula 1. So far, their plans to improve the sport’s global reach have been met with controversy.
Phillip Island will drop off the calendar in 2027 as Liberty explore the ideas of street circuits. They want to make MotoGP a show for fans to enjoy and attend further races, and a part of that may include extra events during the weekends.
Are you concerned that Liberty Media may try to remove MotoGP’s style?
MotoGP manufacturers and teams are currently negotiating with Dorna, now MotoGP Sports Entertainment, over an F1-style Concorde Agreement. They want to secure a new deal ahead of the 2027 season, hence why all rider transfers are being delayed.
As journalist Mat Oxley notes, part of those negotiations includes Liberty wanting MotoGP teams to have show bikes during races.
Liberty Media want MotoGP riders to have show bikes for events during race weekends
Speaking on the Oxley Bom MotoGP Podcast, Oxley shares that the sport’s owners would like to set up events during Grands Prix, similar to that of the 2026 season launch in Kuala Lumpur.
He said: “I heard, for example, Liberty/MotoGP Sports Entertainment want every team to have a running show bike for each rider.
“Which would require every team so they can have, let’s say, it’s the Silverstone Grand Prix, and they can have an event in London on the Wednesday where they close off part of London.
What MotoGP rule would you like to see Liberty Media change?
“And they have maybe test riders or whatever, maybe Johann Zarco doing wheelies up and down the road on his uh Castrol Honda and Miller doing stoppies on his Pramac Yamaha.
“So they want a running show bike for every rider. That’s a lot of money, because it’s not only in the motorbikes. There’ll be last year’s bikes, of course, but you need a crew to look after them.
“You don’t just press the starter button. There’s a considerable cost attached to running that isn’t there, so it’s these kind of things that they’re negotiating on.”
READ MORE: Five F1 rules that Liberty Media must introduce to MotoGP even if Marc Marquez could benefit
What do MotoGP figures want to see from Liberty Media?
Many MotoGP figures are hoping that Liberty can have the same success as F1 and help grow the sport and reach new audiences.
Mick Doohan hopes Liberty returns MotoGP to the ‘glory days’ and makes it reachable in several nations. Particularly, he hopes it becomes a household name in the UK, as it has slowly dwindled in the country in recent years.
Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali wants Liberty to make MotoGP riders ‘personalities’. F1 drivers have seen their stocks rise with gimmicks such as Netflix’s Drive to Survive, making them hugely popular across the world.
Some team bosses are even calling for changes to race weekends. Davide Brivio wants to see the qualifying format change, having a Sprint qualifying on Friday and then a session for the main race
Receive racing news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
