NEWS - Qatar Olympic Committee

“”
the big interview
I remember when some people
were saying it was impossible. Now
everyone realises it is a great event.
The same sort of resources are
invested as in Italy, Spain or other
parts of the motorcycling world
“Qatar has shown in front of the world that they can
organise sports events and do it well. It understands how
big events - such as the Asian Games in 2006 - impact
on and showcase the country. They show the world its
organisational capability and passion for sport.”
Ezpeleta admits there was reluctance from some to
take MotoGP to the desert nation. However he says the
investment of time and resources in the events by the
country has changed all minds.
“I remember when some people were saying it was
impossible. Now everyone realises it is a great event. The
same sort of resources are invested as in Italy, Spain or
other parts of the motorcycling world.”
Ezpeleta has no hesitation in placing the Qatar
organisers as up with the best in the world. “They are
experts,” he says.
Despite living in a nation without a history of
motorsport to match Italy, Spain, the US, the UK and
other traditional motorsports heartlands, Ezpeleta says the
Qatari people “understand and love motor-racing”.
The obvious next step to take interest in MotoGP
in Qatar to the next level would be a home-grown
competitor - and this may not be too far off. Within the
next two months or so, Ezpeleta says he will be speaking
to interested parties in Qatar about entering a team in the
new Moto2 series.
Moto2 is expected to start next year, replacing
MotoGP’s second-tier 250cc series. Ezpeleta explains
that there are three main aims for the new Moto2 series.
Firstly, he says it will be more competitive, as the technical
rules will enable more riders to have a competitive bike.
Secondly, the bikes will be cheaper, addressing the
increasingly difficult economic conditions that motorsports
teams are operating in. Thirdly, MotoGP hopes that a
combination of the above two will attract more riders and
teams to the championship.
Qatar Motor and Motorcycling Federation (QMMF)
president Nasser bin Khalifa Al-Attiyah has already voiced
his intention to field riders in the Moto2 series in 2010.
The success of the Qatar Endurance Racing International
Junior Team, which won the FIM Superstock World Cup
last September, indicates that a competitive Qatari team is
a realistic possibility.
Of course, MotoGP, like other motorsports series, has
to be careful how it manages the sport over the next year or
two. The series has already been hit by a partial withdrawal
by Japanese manufacturer Kawasaki.
The team was going to pull out completely, but after
negotiations with Dorna, it entered the 2009 season with
just one rider – Italy’s Marco Melandri – as opposed to the
two it had in previous seasons.
However, Ezpeleta says that MotoGP’s “very good
relationships” and constant communication with its
manufacturers have been and will continue to be key to
a successful cost-cutting programme. Measures being put
before the FIM for approval at a meeting in Geneva at
the end of March also include moving Friday morning
practice sessions to Saturday to reduce the total number
of days of the race, reducing the number of kilometres
covered in practice sessions, and requiring teams to use
the same engine in three races and to use only one bike
for each rider.
These are prudent measures but this does not mean
that Dorna will put a brake on its international ambitions.
MotoGP, like so many other sports and series’ is looking
to expand its global footprint. Qatar was the series’ first
step into the Middle East.Future expansion into South
America, South Africa and Eastern Europe is being
targeted, and there is no shortage of demand according
to Ezpeleta.
The next new circuit on the calendar looks set to
be Bulgaria in 2012, with which Dorna has signed a
memorandum of understanding, which it hopes to finalise
this summer. In fact, the major factor that limits MotoGP
expansion is the sophisticated technical demands it makes
of the circuits it visits, mostly dictated by safety concerns.
Ezpeleta says that this is the reason the series is currently
not present in South Africa or South America – big
motorsports and motorcycling markets which he says it is
“necessary” for it to be in, and which he hopes to add to
the calendar in the next few years.
Looking forward to this season’s series, Ezpeleta
will not be drawn on the riders or events which he is
most looking forward to watching this season, but one
development he does admit to looking forward to is
an Asian MotoGP winner. “We want to have as wide a
number of nationalities competing, and I would like to see
that as soon as possible!”
36 QatarSport Q2.09