When Formula 1’s stateside overlords Liberty Media acquired a majority stake in MotoGP last year, at the cost of a mere £3.6billion, the blueprint for growth in the world’s premier motorbike class was not a closely guarded secret. Modern-day F1 is the competition every sport worldwide is, to a large extent, looking to replicate. As the saying goes: imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
And yet, beyond your two-wheeled petrolhead hardcores, cut-through is tricky. Aside from Spain’s defending champion Marc Marquez, how many of the 2026 grid have you heard of? Do names like current championship leader Jorge Martin ring a bell? In the UK, the case for notoriety is not aided by the lack of a single British rider on the current grid; a situation which has arisen 50 years since the last British champion in Barry Sheene. Undoubtedly, luring star names is at the forefront of the growth drive.
