On Track Off Road No.184

from the management and
sport point of view, they just
left the championship management
as it was and they looked
after the Media and production
side; I guess this is what is
going to happen also with MX,”
Biel Roda, Marketing & PR
boss of WorldSBK Champions
Kawasaki Racing Team told
us. “They will let management
keep working as they’ve done
in the past and be a partner in
the Media/TV production side.
It will be a mix of experience of
the existing management plus
the strength of a big multinational
behind.”
Youthstream’s objective to take
Grand Prix ‘more global’ has
sparked debate among teams
and fans and is based around
the concerning expense of
racing in the 21st century as
well as some of the suitability
of far-flung circuits where
facilities and knowledge of the
sport might not be as elevated
as in the European heartland
of motocross. The Grand Prix
of Qatar from 2013-2017 was a
well-supported (and well-liked)
cash-driven floodlit spectacle
with initial good intentions to
expand the sport in the Middle
East and connection point
from west to east, but it was
far removed from the earthy
roots of motocross as a decent
circuit experience for fans.
Then for every slick, atmospheric
and popular Grand Prix
in Brazil – for example - there
were also others that didn’t
quite hit the same heights for
organisation or facilities.
Regardless of the rate of efficacy,
expansion has been
a success in terms of giving
new (or starved) audiences a
flavour of MXGP and deepening
the richness and diversity
of the series. As an FIM World
Championship MXGP (as long
as it is reasonably sustainable
for teams and those who
make up the show) has a duty
to explore other territories,
markets and cultures, to find
new fans and re-inspire the old
or distant ones. From a sporting
point of view the fact that
riders have to tackle sapping
Dutch or Belgian sand one
week, marbley Czech soil the
next and then the heat and
humidity of Asian hard-pack a
few days later only hikes the
demands and challenge of the
championship further.
In 2019 MXGP will visit China
and Hong Kong for the very
first time. The calendar also involves
two rounds in Indonesia
for the second year in a row,
a journey to a popular stop in
Russia and the championship
opener in Argentina in two
weeks time. The zeal to keep
stretching Grand Prix is unlikely
to shrink…and it seems
with Infront there is even more
‘back-up’ to make that happen.
David Luongo says the bond
between the companies is not
a snapshot decision.
“We have relationship and
communications with Infront
and its top management for
years thanks to the great
respect both companies and
people have to each other,” he
states. “It has been a several
months of discussion to cover
all the aspects of such acquisition,
and we would like to
thank Infront for their great interest
in MXGP and our work
in general.”
“The most important point
for us was for Infront to feel
comfortable with the special
family spirit of the motocross
and its DNA,” he adds. “We
met people [there] that are really
passionate about motorsport
and it is very promising.
The deal cannot be compared
with the Action Group/Dorna
agreement because the MXGP
FIM World championship is
definitely in another dimension
today in term of popularity.”
“We have been monitoring
Youthstream for a couple of
years as we were looking for
new properties in motorsports
and as we always thought it
was a fantastic product,” says
Infront’s Julien Ternisien. “Infront
will take an active role
at Youthstream board level,
thus also being involved in
key strategic decisions for the
company. We will also take
an active role in all aspects
of commercialising the media
and marketing rights to the
MXGP & THE FUTURE