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OPINION: The Most Powerful Person In MotoGP

By David Emmett |

In 2009, Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta was facing catastrophe. The global financial crisis had caused Kawasaki to pull out of MotoGP, and for Honda to teeter on the brink of a decision to leave. The switch to 800cc had been disastrous, leading to processional races. Audiences were falling, teams were going out of business, grid sizes were falling.

Ezpeleta faced a problem, and that problem had a name. Shuhei Nakamoto, Vice President of HRC at the time, and de facto head of the MSMA. Dorna wanted cheaper, more competitive racing, with a wider appeal. Nakamoto wanted to win races and justify his spending on MotoGP to the board by pointing to the R&D that the sport facilitated, especially in the field of electronics. Nakamoto issued a firm 'Nyet' to any proposals for change.

By a process of browbeating, blackmail, and bribery, Ezpeleta managed to circumvent Nakamoto's veto. A return to 1000cc bikes and the introduction of the CRT class - highly tuned production engines with spec electronics in prototype chassis - helped fill the grid, and vastly improved the racing. In the run up to each new 5-year contract period, Ezpeleta managed to slip in conditions that would make racing cheaper, open up the grid, and attract three new factories to replace the two that left.

Divide and conquer

Ezpeleta's strategy was Machiavellian and brilliant. By taking the side of the teams, exploiting the ideas from inside Dorna and IRTA, and undermining Honda's dominance of the MSMA, he had found a way to topple Shuhei Nakamoto, MotoGP's most powerful person at the time. Ezpeleta was once again in charge of the sport, and had his hands more firmly on the tiller. The ship was on course, and though winds might blow it slightly to port or to starboard, the new format allowed the system to correct itself more quickly, and return to its original heading.

Ezpeleta likes to keep one hand firmly on the tiller. But that isn't always easy. Take the time Valentino Rossi left Yamaha for Ducati, failed to be competitive, and Rossi fans stopped watching the sport in their droves. Rossi wanted out, Yamaha had a vacancy, and Ezpeleta eased the way for the Italian legend to return to a competitive bike.

Superstar riders have always been much harder for Ezpeleta to control than factories and teams. Riders owe little loyalty to Dorna, and the bigger the name, the less likely they are to listen to, well, anyone. They get paid for results, and as long as they are scoring results, they get to call the tune.

Rider power, but the wrong kind

MotoGP
Mugello, Italy
Ducati
Francesco Bagnaia
Jorge Martin
Marc Marquez
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Comments

I think it will depend on how close they are to each other. Marc and Dani got on fine once the pecking order was settled. Pecco got on great with Jack and Enea and he was the better of both within the factory team. Enea and Pecco didn't seem so friendly when Enea was giving him a fight in 2022. Mutual respect and all of that but if they are fighting close every weekend. 

David, this article is BEAUTIFUL work mate. Really! Pulled all that stuff together nicely.

I too prefer to see Marc anywhere but Red for the racing and the narrative. I had Orange in mind given his LONG building of himself as a racer around a short/tall skittery bike, plus Red Bull ties. Orange having baby Alien AND Sr Alien appeals to those wanting to see their program challenge Ducati. Nope! Marc wants THE best bike, and Ducati have wanted an Alien so very badly since Stoner that they would eat their young for it.

For me, most important is the speed and relative ease with which Marquez has adapted to the entirely different Ducati machine. I expected it but it was far from given. Hasn't it been cool to watch?! He isn't doing it in testing, we have front row seats!

From that very first wide grin in his garage, pulling in from his first stint in Lavender through now has been brilliant and intriguing to watch. 

This trajectory is not done. The Marc has more performance coming, guaranteed. I am enjoying this quite a bit. 

I expect to see him easily move into #1 position ahead of impeccable Pecco. Also both of them getting along JUST fine contrary to most folks. Really! Not blind hope, breadcrumbs are there. 

So we can take some heart in that Marc is an older rider at this time, so it is a handful of years remaining tops. (Sidenote, McGuinness just got a top 5 in the Sr race in his 50's!). He can break some career records. I don’t think he eyes them as much as he just MUST win races on track as much as breathe and eat.

The Ducati may not, and yes here I clearly HOPE not, stay on top in 2027. No bike is best forever. Even just a significantly different front Michelin could shake things up, we have some unexpected turns possible.

Right now, VERY much hoping that Pramac goes Yamaha. My druthers would have been VR46 since they offer so much, bringing balance to racing and could help Blue out of the Japanese gutter. Nope! Ok, now just get us 4 Yamahas and 6 Ducatis please and thank you.

(Shall we all pass on re-hashing 2015 yet again into babyfood even though it is mentioned above? I'm zipping it even though it pops in the head. Bigger and fresher fish to fry!)

... Who goes where? We know Acosta is in the factory team next year, and Binder surely wouldn't get moved out, due to the incredibly long contract he signed (yes, we all know what a signed contract means in the world of Pierer Mobility). We keep hearing Bastianini is in at KTM, but is there any actual confirmation of that yet? That would suggest he'll be in at Tech 3. Does Miller swap with Acosta, into Tech 3, bumping out Fernandez? Miller and Fernandez are next to each other in the points. Honestly, I'd like to see Fernandez go elsewhere, as I think he simply hasn't gelled with the bike/new rear tire this year. Where would that be, though?

As for the KTMs, I did notice that Aki Ajo's Moto2 bikes and possibly two other teams are using WP suspension this year, perhaps as a way to get their riders used to them if they move up to MotoGP. Is there any indication that more teams in Moto2 are going to want Boscoscuros, as they seem to have done a better job matching with the Pirellis than the Kalex guys (never count them out for long, though!).

Might just be recency bias but Ducati have only won three titles in 20 odd years. Dominating now but Honda and Yamaha did this for two decades (of four strokes - let’s ignore the previous 30 years for the moment). 

There’s generally only two riders proper going for it and them being on the same team isn’t a bad story line for anyone following the sport. I do agree for casual watchers and growing probably not ideal.


100% agree this was a huge flex by Marquez. Finally we see what “the plan” was. 

The real issue with the state of things isn’t Marquez going to Ducati Corse it’s Honda and Yamaha being absolute garbage. If Ducati have a couple years in the sunshine more power to them. 

Not that long ago it seemed impossible HRC would be in this position. Also Yamaha won a championship 3 seasons ago. If they want to pack up their toys over a few shit years when they literally won almost everything for 50 years that’s just pathetic. 

This is sport. It ebbs and flows. Honda and Yamaha will probably win a championship before the end of the decade. The issue isn’t them not winning it’s being so obviously uncompetitive. Marquez next to Pecco doesn’t change that basic problem. People support (emotionally and financially) teams / brands they have an affinity with. Not necessary the ones winning. I almost exclusively support teams that don’t win and I’m happy to wear that crest and be happy when they give it a go even if it ends in spectacular failure. Just be in the mix to give me some hope and I’ll walk over hot coals. 

 

Funnily enough one of the things I have been thinking recently is that Ducati are at their zenith, and are just starting to tip over the edge. They are hemorrhaging engineering talent and there are rumblings of internal dissent. They still hold an advantage over the other manufacturers, but the gap is going to start narrowing from here.

I also suspect that the fans will lay the blame for that on Marc Marquez, but the truth is the decline already started before his arrival.

I haven't been watching the sport for long (2013) but it seems like the most important aspect of success is the factory. A good factory can get, develop and retain top talent, both on and off the bike. And the off bike talent may be more important than the rider honestly. Good riders go to the best factories (when they can).

I have a gut feeling next year is not going to be the cakewalk everyone is imagining for Ducati. If JM89 and PA?? get up to speed quickly I do think we may have a legit 4 way fight. Possibly with FQ20, MV12 and BB33 taking some points and podiums at the worst possible moments for championship contenders. Or maybe I am just dressing up my wishes as predictions... 

Either way you know the old Nicky Hayden quote... should be interesting nonetheless. Great article and thanks as always for the insight. I hope there's a piece about your factory predictions in the works..............

Posts like this is why I love this website. Don’t get me wrong, I love the technical stuff and the daily roundups on race weekends. However, when material like this shows up, David’s passion just simply pours out of every word.

Hats off to you, Mr. Emmett. You made my day with your words. There is simply no better website for MotoGP commentary. 

I know it's just literary license, and with great effect, but I'm still grinning at the thought of a Japanese company man telling a Spanish promoter 'No!' in Russian. Another reason to love David's writing, along with the great background information and often unseen machinations behind the polished Dorna presentations. So glad I renewed my subscription for another entertaining season, and more to come, even if most races are run in the middle of our night here in Aotearoa New Zealand. Thanks to all for the insights and opinions.

Hallelujah Kropotkin the new comments feature is working again. It took me straight to the first new comment. Finally be praised.s I

I'm still getting random extra letters popping up. not so much now.

For articles with eleventeen comments we need another back to top button. At the bottom of the comments. bs

Great piece, David - really enjoyed it, as always 

But just to be picky, and maybe even a little churlish, I'm wondering why a Japanese man, Shuhei Nakamoto, would use the Russian word for "no" :-)

I'm thankful that I won't hear any more speculation about where MM lands. 

The best chance of this becoming a memorable season will be JM overcoming the odds and winning the championship for Pramac as both parties move on to different--and less verdant--pastures for next season. 

in the Marquez/Rossi book is being written. In the end Ducati know that MM is a greater threat on another European bike than JM is. Smart move keeping him in house. Letting him go was a bigger risk than keeping him in the fold. Funny thing is that if they had been willing to call his bluff I find it hard to believe that KTM would have been the destination. PA is very fast and only getting faster. No need to put yourself through that test. There was never word on chatter with Aprilia. Another new bike to learn? He might've stayed. 

In short - this is a power sharing arrangement.

Eventually we will escape the Ducati spec series we've been in and hopefully we will reach a point where riders make more difference. The new rules should change things - now for the worse or better we'll have to wait and see. We should all be happy this isn't Agostini's time. 

Interesting there has been no talk of $$$. I would not be at all surprised if Marc was willing to ride for much much less than Jorge in a Gresini-type deal: Marc really only had one option if he wanted a championship capable ride....while Ducati had multiple rider options to support Pecco, so colour me surprised if Marc wasn't actually a cheaper option than Jorge who wants a full fat Factory salary (justifiably so) as much as the actual Factory ride.

I don't think Gigi has any concerns about Pecco having the rest of the field covered now that Martin is signed up for a transition period on a bike that is realistically close, but not quite at the same level as the D16. 

But Ducati are only a training accident away from giving a rival the chance to snaffle an unlikely title, so Marc is insurance. Ducati will have effectively got Plan B well and truly sorted should either rider have a mishap, chances are they'll still take the title.

...Howdy!

Every rider is getting much less $ now, most notably watch what Vinales gets...just under half his last annual salary.

I don't think Marc got less than Jorge was offerred 3 days prior (nuts, eh?). About same.

What do you think is happening next mate? (Did you see Krop say this week if he had more Euros laying about he'd have a....749R?).

Currently in the shop installing bar risers on my 675R. What do you think? Heresy?

;)

Hey mate, can’t help thinking Ducati are assuming the role of the Empire in Star Wars, Bologna being the Deathstar, lol. 

Still looking for a Luke Skywalker….Acosta? The Force is strong in this one but I don’t see the guiding hand of an Obi Wan Kenobi, KTM seem to be in need of guidance as much as Acosta. Still, maybe Jedi’s past will guide from beyond the veil.

Unlike the Deathstar there are no weaknesses for brave Skywalker to attack, and Vader/Marc is finding a new lease on life with an ominously talented young general by his side, a general with designs on Vader’s power.

The rebels only hope would seem to be the Deathstar imploding in 2027, none of the rebel forces seem capable of landing a telling blow in the meantime.

Haha, no I didn’t see Krop’s 749R lust, and here’s me thinking he was an erudite man of unflinching intellect and uncommonly good taste….speaking from experience this folly would corrupt the latter assumption's!  No, love ‘em but the course of true love is never easy and 749R’s are no exception.

High bars on the 675R? You have to do what you have to do. No heresy if it means you enjoy it more and more often. You do you, boo!

 

Delightful reading, this has been, DE. Thanks a lot for writing this.

The phenomenon of these generational talents such as Rossi, Marquez (and Acosta, from the looks of it) with not just the riding skills and racing IQ but also the charisma, the intelligence and the killer instinct to win and the way they deal with the world to get what they want- nothing is more entertaining than seeing this. MotoGP entertains one way or another 😄

7 Races In...Review 10.5 mins video focused on the riders.

Martin, 2 crashes (one race, one sprint). Still on top!

Marquez 8 podiums, 7 2nds. A win coming any time. Pushing to the end of the season?

Bagnaia is in stride, and close. He has made errors, but at his best recently. These three look to be our Championship.

Bastianini 4th, signing next and soon to KTM.

Pedro Acosta! 5th, and our new sensation. He wants more and must win or grimace with huge ambition even as a freshman.

Etc...not a bad review and a pleasant watch. But WE CAN DO MUCH BETTER yeah?!

Let's do.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=t8aD--NbM9A&pp=ygUGbW90b2dw

Great piece David 👍 MM still has the desire and capability to win races and championships but he’s aware that time is not on his side. Money is not an issue for MM but having the best bike is, he’s backed himself and knows with the best bike he’s in the mix. All the nay sayers / haters have been proved wrong , he’s adapted well to the GP23 after 11 years at HRC and Ducati can see that too. He’s in the championship battle this year, will be for 25/26 but come 2027 I’d put money on him riding around any shortcomings in the GP27 850cc whilst others who need “a perfect bike” are moaning about anything and everything.  The change of regs may have extended MMs career even further.  I doubt Agostini’s title record will ever be beaten but I can see MM getting to double figures, I’m pretty sure Ducati management can see that too and make more modern day Moto GP history. 

Thanks for yet another superbly written article.  Love the podcasts as well, and all the information and insights and opinions expressed.  You are the best!