01 cover sbi 152.indd - FIFA/CIES International University Network

MOTORSPORT:
MOTORCYCLING
Rossi rides high - Getty Images Sport
Both MotorGP and World
Superbikes continue to
defy the downturn with
new TV deals and the
addition of new sponsor
partners. But is MotoGP,
at least, basing too much
of its value on its biggest
star, Valentino Rossi
By Richard Gillis.
IN THE HECTIC HOURS after
Valentino Rossi secured the 2009
MotoGP World Championship
in Malaysia, his fourth with the
Yamaha Racing team and ninth
overall, Lin Jarvis, the team’s
managing director was hedging
questions as to the future.
It’s not news that Yamaha are
desperate to keep him: “I don’t
think I can convince Valentino to
continue racing (after 2010, when
his contract runs out), that’s up to
him, but I’ll certainly do my best to
make sure he’s on a Yamaha if he
does,” said Jarvis.
Rossi is arguably the greatest
ever, reaching the rarefied air
occupied by that small group of
stars for whom history can talk
louder than money. Ahead of him
is Giacomo de Agostini’s record of
123 grand prix career wins, a mark
that Rossi, who has amassed 102
career victories, has admitted to
‘thinking out loud about’.
To keep their man, Yamaha are
making a legacy play, with talk of
a brand ambassador role and long
term tie-ups: their hunch is that
the Italian will sell bikes long after
he’s stopped riding them.
But Rossi’s future is not just an
issue for the Japanese motorcycle
industry. It holds the key to
commercial future of the entire
sport. “It’s hard to overstate how
important Rossi is to motorbike
racing,” says David Emmett,
editor of motomatters.com, the
influential website. “He’s a oncein-a-generation
type, combining
riding genius with real charisma.”
When energy drinks brand
Monster consolidated its move into
motorsport, it was Rossi they chose
as their Trojan horse, signing up a
two year deal worth in the region
of $3.2 million to the rider, plus an
extra $650,000 for claiming this
year’s MotoGP title.
But Rossi’s retirement date,
2011 is mentioned regularly,
For now at least, the sport
continues to reap the benefit of
his participation. In 2008, rights
holders Dorna hired IMG to sell
media rights outside the core
markets of Italy, Spain and UK,
which Dorna handles in-house.
This led to a spate of TV deals
in key markets, with free-to-air
terrestrial a significant component
of the strategy. In the UK, the BBC
bought five years of MotoGP’s
full inventory, including exclusive
rights to show all races - 125cc,
250cc and MotoGP itself, plus
qualifying sessions.
60 SportBusiness International • No. 152 • 12.09