Author Archives: PressBox

Victoria’s Allan Labor Government formally rejected a request from MotoGP Sports Entertainment (formerly Dorna Sports, also referred to as MotoGP Sports Entertainment SL) to move the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix from Phillip Island to Melbourne’s Albert Park, and tied extra state funding to keeping the race at Phillip Island beyond 2026. The government said the event was “synonymous with Phillip Island,” and framed the Grand Prix as vital for tourism, local businesses and jobs. It conditioned any additional cash to upgrade facilities on MotoGP committing to keep the event at Phillip Island, a move that has effectively closed off an immediate relocation to Albert Park.

The decision came as the existing contract between Dorna and the state is due to expire at the end of 2026. Dorna had argued Phillip Island did not meet current World Championship infrastructure standards, and reports in late 2025 showed the promoter was keen to relocate. Attendance weakened in 2025, with the Australian round among five grands prix that had weekend crowds under 100,000, and supporters launched a petition in late 2025 to keep the race at Phillip Island. The government’s backing included references to a proposed cash injection — the pledged amount and whether it was accepted were not confirmed in reports — and Phillip Island has hosted the Australian MotoGP 29 times.

Local politicians and officials welcomed the decision. Tourism, Sport and Major Events Minister Steve Dimopoulos called Phillip Island the “home of the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix,” Bass Coast Mayor Rochelle Halstead said she hoped any investment would be directed toward facility upgrades to meet standards, and Bass MP Jordan Crugnale said Labor would defend the Bass Coast’s interests. The announcement kept the current contract timeline intact while signaling Victoria’s willingness to upgrade and financially back the race so long as it remains at Phillip Island, even as other jurisdictions such as South Australia and the Bend motorsport complex have been reported as interested in hosting the event in the future.

At the Ride 6 presentation and in an exclusive Crash.net interview, Casey Stoner said Marc Márquez’s recent dominance stems from superior tire management, racecraft and a “total symbiosis” with his Ducati Desmosedici. He praised Márquez’s patience and intelligence, saying he conserves tires early in races to exploit greater grip and late-race pace. Stoner highlighted Márquez’s ability to limit electronic intervention and balance traction control with tire preservation, saying “nobody seems to grasp how Márquez balances traction control with preserving Michelin tires,” and compared that approach to F1 drivers such as Max Verstappen, arguing both can wait several laps to regain pace and “effectively extend competitive life by ‘an extra ten or fifteen laps’.” Stoner said Márquez was the favorite to start the 2026 season.

Reports framed Márquez’s 2025 campaign as dominant, noting 25 race wins and 14 of 18 Sprint victories, with the title clinched in Japan. Some outlets described the 2025 crown as his ninth world title, equaling Valentino Rossi, while others characterized it as his seventh MotoGP world championship. He suffered a right-shoulder fracture in Indonesia that forced him to miss the final four rounds, then recovered ahead of his title defense. Stoner pointed to races such as Thailand—where Márquez briefly yielded the lead over a tire-pressure issue before reclaiming it and winning—as examples of his racecraft.

Stoner, who retired in 2012 and never raced Márquez, said the six-year gap between titles (2019–25) and Márquez’s moves from Honda to Gresini and then to the factory Ducati sharpened his ability to build races tactically. He suggested many rivals had treated Márquez as an unbeatable “final boss” and tried to match raw speed rather than learn to out-race him; he added he was surprised no rival had publicly exploited a weakness Márquez once had, but declined to identify it. Stoner concluded competitors face a technical challenge: to close the performance gap they must match Márquez’s feel for the bike and his tire-management strategy.

Dorna Sports announced it has renamed itself MotoGP Sports Entertainment Group (MotoGP SEG), repositioning MotoGP as an entertainment-first global platform built on what the company calls “world innovation.” Chief Executive Carmelo Ezpeleta described the change as “a statement of intent” and “more than a simple rebrand,” framing it as a future-facing effort to expand MotoGP’s global reach and market standing in sports entertainment.

The new identity formalizes Dorna’s evolution since it became the exclusive commercial and broadcast rights holder for MotoGP in 1992 and consolidates management of several series under a single entertainment-focused group. MotoGP SEG will continue to manage MotoGP, Moto2, Moto3 and the Road to MotoGP development pathway, and will also oversee the World Superbike Championship (WorldSBK) and the newly created Harley-Davidson Bagger World Cup; the Harley-Davidson relationship was cited as part of event expansion. Leadership says the repositioning aims to accelerate digital innovation, immersive fan engagement and global storytelling to broaden reach and attract younger, more diverse audiences while preserving the core racing spectacle.

The announcement emphasized brand and platform ambitions rather than operational details, personnel changes or specific commercial deals. Liberty Media completed a €4.2 billion acquisition of Dorna in 2024 and has largely left management in place, though Chief Commercial Officer Dan Rossomondo departed in late 2025. Some stakeholders have raised concerns that consolidating motorcycle racing properties under MotoGP SEG could dilute WorldSBK’s distinct identity.

Jorge Lorenzo has signed on as Maverick Vinales’ performance coach in a full-time return to the MotoGP paddock for the 2026 season, a role the three-time world champion called the “perfect job.” Lorenzo said working seven to nine hours a day with Vinales was “not heavy, it’s a pleasure,” and that the position lets him apply roughly 30 years of motorcycle experience without the on-track risk. Since retiring at the end of 2019, he has hosted a MotoGP podcast, raced in the Porsche Supercup, and worked as a DAZN pundit, and he will accompany Vinales to pre-season tests and through the opening rounds of 2026.

Lorenzo has overseen an intensive winter program designed to rebuild Vinales’ form, beginning at the Sepang test and overhauling the rider’s preparation to push him beyond previous limits. The regimen included road-bike testing at Jerez, figure-of-eight drills and dirt riding in Valencia, deliberate work in wet and slippery conditions, and technical refinements such as throttle control and braking technique. Lorenzo shifted Vinales’ routine away from a fitness-only focus toward tougher practice scenarios and more focused technical work to restore race-to-race consistency.

The intervention responds to a difficult 2025 for Vinales, who rehabbed a shoulder injury sustained at the German Grand Prix, struggled for consistency, and finished 18th in the championship despite having 10 Grand Prix wins and 35 career podiums. Lorenzo said he aims to help Vinales regain the “killer” mentality he remembered from the rider’s youth, arguing that Vinales needs greater mental strength but that physical preparation and mindset improvements could turn him into a genuine contender. Lorenzo has publicly bet with Albert Valera, manager of Pedro Acosta, that Vinales will outscore Acosta across 2026. Acosta finished fourth overall with 12 podiums in 2025. Vinales is out of contract at the end of 2026, and Lorenzo warned the next two to three years could be a final window for a championship push as his renewed form will be watched closely amid rumours of KTM factory-seat reshuffles involving Acosta and Alex Marquez.