        For many years now, MotoGP has been a market, as well as a show, and one in continuous expansion no less. The latest news regarding a widening of the world championship geographical map looks to represent an important turning point. &nbsp;At Misano, Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta and HRH Prince Khalid Bin Sultan Al Abdullah Al-Faisal, President of the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation as well as Saudi Motorsport Company, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding, which underlines their mutual intention to bring MotoGP to Saudi Arabia. A significant move for the world&rsquo;s highest level motorcycle championship, from a political but also economic and marketing standpoint. Adding Saudi Arabia to the MotoGP calendar would see the sport further expand into the Middle East, flanking Qatar that currently hosts the region&rsquo;s only round. MotoGP rides the Formula 1 wave  The partnership initiative between SMC and Dorna will also see the establishment of a new talent development program for young Saudi riders, designed to increase awareness of and accessibility to the sport in the Kingdom. This aligns with Dorna&rsquo;s ongoing commitment to young rider development all over the world, using its platforms and championships to launch new riders&rsquo; careers and develop pathways to racing in MotoGP. MotoGP in Saudi Arabia will be staged on a newly constructed, multi-purpose FIM and FIA homologated circuit. Plans to bring MotoGP to the country follow the successful hosting of other major global motorsports series, including the Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix (since 2021), the Formula E Diriyah ePrix (since 2018), and the Dakar Rally (since 2020). Carmelo Ezpeleta: "Saudi Arabia a key market for motorsport"  Under the guidance of Dorna and Carmelo Ezpeleta, in recent years MotoGP has shown it can move with the times and expand into the right markets. The Spanish CEO explains the decision to move in this new direction: "As the leading global championship for two-wheel circuit racing, we are thrilled at this opportunity for MotoGP to expand its reach within the Middle East by adding an annual Grand Prix in Saudi Arabia.&nbsp; The region is a key market for motorsport and the demand in the Kingdom for events of this kind is growing with research showing that 80% of Saudi fans wanting to see more in their country. In the past few years, Saudi Arabia has shown its ability to stage major global motorsports events to the highest standards. The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding codifies our shared intention to explore this opportunity further. We are confident that we will find an exciting and welcoming new home in the Kingdom and we look forward to further collaboration with the Saudi Motorsport Company to deliver on this joint ambition together." HRH Prince Khalid Bin Sultan Al Abdullah Al-Faisal is also pleased: "We are excited to confirm the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with Dorna today which clearly outlines our shared goal of bringing MotoGP to Saudi Arabia. It makes perfect sense to add the world&rsquo;s greatest motorcycle racing series to our growing list of world-class racing events. We look forward to working with Dorna to deliver on our shared commitment to bring the pinnacle of two-wheeled racing to Saudi Arabia and to continue to provide more opportunities and initiatives to enrich the lives of all our residents." Translated by Heather Watson MotoGP opportunity for Aegerter: Suzuki to field him during the Misano test       

Dorna Sports and Saudi Motorsport Company have signed an MoU that outlines the parties mutual desire to bring the world championship to the Middle East

MotoGP broadens its horizons, a Saudi GP in the pipeline

        The recent Austrian race weekend brought news, debate and controversy. From the new chicane to the different opinions of riders regarding the new Sprint Race format that will be introduced in 2023. F1 champion Fernando Alonso also had something to say about this latest initiative as he visited the Aprilia garage as a guest during the Red Bull Ring round. &ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s a great idea &ndash; states the Alpine driver &ndash; because it means more action on Saturday and so we&rsquo;ll be glued to the TV even earlier, and not just on Sunday. It won&rsquo;t influence grid positions for Sunday either, so the riders will be able to take more risks, knowing that they won&rsquo;t compromise their grid position.&rdquo;&nbsp; Total faith in Ezpeleta In the interview with motogp.com, the Spaniard confirms that he thinks the &ldquo;sprint&rdquo; could help remedy the recent drop in spectator numbers. He also fully supports championship boss Carmelo Ezpeleta: &ldquo;Everything that Carmelo Ezpeleta and MotoGP do serves as inspiration for other categories. This will be another example of that.&rdquo; The new format will come into being as of next season, despite the fact that most of the riders are not in agreement with this decision, deeming it senseless and risky. Traslated by Heather Watson Tardozzi supports the Sprint Race in MotoGP: &ldquo;A great idea for the show&rdquo;       

The F1 driver and world champion extols the new format, trusting in Ezpeleta

MotoGP, Alonso a guest at the Red Bull Ring: “A sprint race? A great idea”

        With an increase in the number of races making up the MotoGP season, now 21 rather than 19, the world championship bosses have had to make an important decision as to the number of engines that each team in the paddock can use. Dorna president Carmelo Ezpeleta, together with the FIM, IRTA and MSMA, has therefore decided to increase the engines available to teams. Introducing an eighth engine  Previously, or rather at the start of the championship, the regulation set out that teams could only use seven engines during a season, with a maximum of nine for teams with concessions. Now, following the rule change, the situation is as follows: All teams competing in the MotoGP world championship will have an allocation of eight engines. And for those manufacturers with concessions, the number will increase to ten. The use of these two engines will be permitted from the nineteenth race onwards. A 20- or 21-race season?  The last dilemma that Dorna managers face is that relating to the new GP in Finland. The new event is set to run on 8-10 July at the KymiRing circuit, but the round is not yet confirmed and will depend on the inspection that will take place shortly. Translated by Heather Watson MotoGP, irregular pressure? Dall'Igna: &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve acted legally&rdquo;       

With an extended calendar, the MotoGP Commission has decided to increase the number of engines available to teams. Though the KymiRing event remains a sticking point

MotoGP, regulation change: more engines for a 21-race season

Carmelo Ezpeleta is being kept busy with the various difficulties relating to the world championship. One of the latest was the tricky transportation of some of the containers from Indonesia to Argentina. MotoGP has now moved on to Austin and, as we wait to see the riders back on track, Carmelo Ezpeleta has carried out an interview with Spanish website solomoto.es, in which he covers many topics, including Valentino Rossi&rsquo;s retirement.  Ezpeleta: &ldquo;I won&rsquo;t cry for Valentino&rdquo;   The journalist drew a comparison between Valentino Rossi leaving MotoGP and Lionel Messi leaving Barcelona, two transitions that weren&rsquo;t in fact too difficult to digest: &ldquo;I admit that the comparison is a good one, a fair one&rdquo;, comments Ezpeleta, &ldquo;but with the same sincerity, I can tell you that I didn&rsquo;t cry for Messi and won&rsquo;t for Rossi either. I think that, in both cases, there is gratitude on the part of all the fans who were able to enjoy what these two phenomenal sportsmen gave them for so many years. Particularly Valentino, whose career was longer than that of the Argentinian champion&rdquo;.  &ldquo;The championship is stronger than the stars who leave&rdquo;   The Dorna CEO clarifies one point: &ldquo;But if this is a way of insinuating that since Rossi has left, the whole motorcycle racing world needs to be changed, then that&rsquo;s not the case at all. There is nothing to change in MotoGP because it has its own consolidated importance, even if a charismatic rider like Valentino leaves. I don&rsquo;t sell marketing products, and Dorna has never intentionally tried to create a personality, fuel a rivalry or push the image of a rider to make him more or less popular. Sure, Valentino drew in an entire generation, but it&rsquo;s also true that in recent years he didn&rsquo;t experience much success, and this was because the generation of riders that followed him is also a very talented generation. I experienced the post-American and post-Doohan era... I&rsquo;ve already been through it and the championship has always been stronger than the stars who leave&rdquo;.  Translated by Heather Watson  Tragedy shakes MotoGP ahead of the Americas GP 

The Dorna CEO takes a firm stand in relation to Valentino Rossi&#39;s departure &nbsp;

MotoGP, Ezpeleta: &ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t cry for Messi, I won&rsquo;t for Rossi&rdquo;

As of tomorrow, 1 April, the world championship riders should have been out on track at Termas de Rio Hondo to begin a long weekend of practice in preparation for the race on Sunday 3 April. And yet, some breaking news from Argentina confirms that while the riders are ready, their bikes or not. Or at least some are not. Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta has explained what&rsquo;s going on during a special press conference today.  Problems with the cargo flight   &ldquo;As you know, two weeks ago we were in Indonesia &ndash; he explains &ndash; and everything had been well prepared, with a week and a half between rounds. Last Wednesday, we sent flights from Lombok to Argentina and one flight had a problem in Mombasa, Africa. So we took the decision to send another plane that had already reached Argentina back to Lombok to collect the remaining cargo before returning to Argentina. But this flight also had a problem in Mombasa and hasn&rsquo;t arrived in time&rdquo;.  At first, the hope was that the flight could depart yesterday and arrive in Argentina today but the issue proved more serious: &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been forced to postpone Friday&rsquo;s sessions&rdquo;, he added. &quot;The plane suffered an engine problem, so we asked for two more flights to travel from London and Paris and if all goes well, the flight from Mombasa will arrive in time so that we can stick to the new schedule for Saturday&rdquo;.  Ezpeleta: &ldquo;The war in Ukraine has complicated things&rdquo;   As the Dorna CEO explains, the teams affected by these delays are team Gresini, team VR46 and also Ducati: &ldquo;We need to offer everyone the same conditions&rdquo;, explains Ezpeleta, &ldquo;so even if this only affected one team, we&rsquo;d have postponed&rdquo;. But what would happen if the flight fails to arrive tomorrow? &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a good question, but we&rsquo;ll know in advance. We&rsquo;ve learned a lot over 30 years of course and the flight situation is always complicated. The problem is exacerbated by the war in Ukraine. Many cargo flights are run by Russian companies and right now roughly 20% of these flights have been cancelled. There simply aren&rsquo;t enough flights right now, and we don&rsquo;t have other solutions if they can&rsquo;t fix the engine issue with the place at Mombasa&rdquo;.  Ezpeleta: &ldquo;Reduce the races? Definitely not&rdquo;   Looking ahead, might the MotoGP calendar need to be revised? &ldquo;We might need to reconsider back-to-back races but this isn&rsquo;t one of those cases. This is GP number 499 and it&rsquo;s the first time this has happened, it&rsquo;s not positive but we need to accept these things. The only solution would be to reduce the races, but there&rsquo;s so much interest in MotoGP so we don&rsquo;t want to do that. Scheduling the calendar is one of the toughest tasks.&rdquo;  Translated by Heather Watson  MotoGP, the latest Honda setback: no Argentina for Nakagami 

Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta has held a special press conference this afternoon, explaining the reasons that have led to this rather unusual decision

MotoGP, war and delays: here&rsquo;s why the Argentinian weekend will lose a day

        Now that the MotoGP tests have concluded and we await the opening race of the season, set to take place in Qatar in 28 March, Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta has talked about the vaccine situation in the world championship paddock. During their recent two week stint at Losail, some of the riders took the opportunity to have the vaccine, kindly provided by the Qatari government. These riders included Maverick Vinales, Valentino Rossi, Francesco Bagnaia and Pol Espargar&oacute;, and also Marc Marquez who flew to Doha to receive his dose. &ldquo;Thanks to the MotoGP family&rdquo;  &ldquo;The government of Qatar - says Carmelo Ezpeleta during an interview with MotoGP.com &ndash; where the vaccination programme is going very well, gave us the possibility to vaccinate the paddock and this is something incredible. The entire MotoGP family really appreciates it&rdquo;. The Moto3 and Moto2 riders will be arriving in Qatar this week, and then the 2021 MotoGP championship will get underway the following week, with rounds one and two taking place at the Losail circuit. Greater safety, less infection  Last season saw various riders as well as technicians come down with Covid-19, and so the possibility to have the vaccine means greater safety for everyone, also in light of the significant traveling the MotoGP circus undertakes during the year: &ldquo;Every individual will decide whether to have it or not - continues Ezpeleta &ndash; The majority of people have accepted and are very happy to have it, while some haven&rsquo;t been able to, for various reasons. We&rsquo;re pleased because these vaccinations allow us to increase safety and lower the risk of infection. Our riders are very popular, especially with younger generations. I think this is an important model for society. Thanks to Qatar, we can show the world how important it is that our heroes are vaccinated&rdquo;. Translated by Heather Watson MotoGP: Marc Marquez is on track at Barcelona       

The Dorna CEO explains the opportunity the MotoGP paddock had to have the vaccine against Covid-19: &ldquo;These vaccinations allows us to increase safety&rdquo;

MotoGP, Ezpeleta: “Vaccinated riders, a model for society”

        The Ducati MotoGP mission continues. This may not come as a surprise, but every sporting activity is built on various agreements, like the one now signed by the Borgo Panigale manufacturer and Dorna, which guarantees the presence of red bikes on the grid until (at least) 2026. Ducati is a championship mainstay, having played an important part ever since its debut in 2003, a season in which it celebrated a first win after just six races. The most memorable year was 2007, when Casey Stoner powered the Desmosedici to the top of the world, scoring the riders&rsquo;, constructors&rsquo; and team titles. Domenicali: &ldquo;Racing has always been fundamental for Ducati&rdquo;  Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali was on hand to formalise the agreement. The Italian manager commented: &ldquo;Racing has always been a truly fundamental part of the Ducati brand and will remain so in the future. In fact, it represents not only a way to fuel the passion and cheer of the Ducatisti all over the world, but also an advanced research laboratory where the most sophisticated materials and the most innovative design methods are tested. It is also the training ground where our young engineers grow to provide our customers with state-of-the-art motorbike&rdquo;. Domenicali does not deny that Ducati seeks to increasingly extend its reach, also outside of the racing world, but he also confirms that the latter remains central to Borgo Panigale planning. &ldquo;This renewed agreement confirms that, while we plan to continue to expand our product range outside of the world of sports bikes, the track and high-performance motorbikes remain a central element for Ducati&rdquo;. One man who can therefore continue with his long-term projects is Gigi Dall&rsquo;Igna, still in pursuit of his first MotoGP title with Ducati. &ldquo;In recent years the Desmosedici GP has proven to be one of the most competitive bikes on the grid, and the 2020 Constructors' World Title is further proof of this. Even though this year's regulations will not allow for significant technical developments, we will face the 2021 season with the same passion and dedication. The goal is to fight for the MotoGP title with our two new riders and prepare the groundwork for our future commitment to the Championship&rdquo;. Ezpeleta: &ldquo;Miller and Bagnaia among this season&rsquo;s assets&rdquo;  Another person who is pleased about the agreement is Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta, a figure who plays an essential role in terms of regulating the world&rsquo;s best-known motorcycle championship. &ldquo;Dorna Sports is proud of the continuation of the partnership with Ducati and thanks the factory for its loyalty to the series. We have been honoured to accompany the iconic Italian manufacturer as they achieved past milestones and are excited to share this new episode in its history with two bright young stars such as Jack Miller and 'Pecco' Bagnaia. Their potential and talent will definitely be one of the assets of the 2021 FIM MotoGP World Championship we are about to start." Translated by Heather Watson MotoGP: Jack Miller, Ducati&rsquo;s latest (Australian) hope       

The Italian manufacturer will compete in the top class for at least another five years, with the aim of repeating its 2007 title win. Domenicali: "Racing remains fundamental for Ducati"

7 risultati per 'EN Carmelo ezpeleta'

MotoGP broadens its horizons, a Saudi GP in the pipeline

MotoGP, Alonso a guest at the Red Bull Ring: “A sprint race? A great idea”

MotoGP, regulation change: more engines for a 21-race season

MotoGP, Ezpeleta: “I didn’t cry for Messi, I won’t for Rossi”

MotoGP, war and delays: here’s why the Argentinian weekend will lose a day

MotoGP, Ezpeleta: “Vaccinated riders, a model for society”

MotoGP, Ducati continues to pursue the title: agreement with Dorna until 2026