By Bob Althoff
As I’m writing these words, I’m watching the MotoGP Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA)… And I am genuinely excited to tell you this story.
It started in 2017 when American billionaire businessman John Malone’s Liberty Media pulled together $300Million or so; did some very creative financing and paid Bernie Ecclestone — British business magnate, and former racing driver — to buy Formula1. Now this is where the story gets interesting.
It is probably fair to say that not many at Liberty Media knew much about F1 racing. But they knew plenty about how to tell a story. Soon we began to hear about the Netflix series Formula 1: Drive To Survive. It told stories about the drivers; the teams; the lifestyles of the “go fast” crowd.
People who never saw an F1 race tuned in and loved it. In the first seven seasons it generated upwards of 70 million viewers (and more than 90 million is Season 5 alone). Here is the twist: More than 25% of the viewers had no interest in motorsports prior to Netflix launching the show. Roughly 31% of the audience is aged 18-29, and about 46% of the viewers are female. This is a story worth telling!
Led by demographics that didn’t have an interest in motorsports, a new generation of fans emerged. And more importantly, young fans, ensuring The Drive will survive. Young people like two of my grandsons, aged 8 and 10, have seen every episode for 8 seasons — virtually their entire lives — built every F1 Lego car they could to adorn the bookshelves in their rooms… You get the picture.
Meanwhile John Malone’s investment grew to what some on Wall Street have estimated to be worth in excess of $20 billion U. S. dollars! Oh, but wait — the story has just begun!
Recently, the E.U. courts — after years of foot-dragging — finally approved Liberty Media’s purchase of Dorna Sports’ crown jewel: MotoGP. Liberty Media coughed up a reported $4 billion. Further demonstrating the significance of its acquisition of Dorna, the company rebranded the MotoGP rights-holder as “MotoGP Sport Entertainment SL” in early 2026.
Now is the time for MotoGP Sport Entertainment to rewind the F1 playbook. Tell the story of our Sport; our Heroes; our life on two wheels. Stories like what may be one of the greatest come-backs in sporting history in Marc Marquez and many more.
Are we on the cusp of a resurgence of motorcycling in North America? If so, it will be because storytellers win. They define and sustain culture. The stories they tell inform, inspire and invite audiences to join the tribe.
Our industry should take note. We need to do a much better job of telling our story — of speed and significance; of fun and friendships; of an inclusive community and our many contributions. And if we don’t, someone will do it for us. Our stories are too compelling; our history too rich, our personalities too big not to be told.
Welcome, John Malone. You have arrived just in time. Certainly the folks at SEMA have tuned in and are embracing Powersports like never before. By following Liberty Media’s F1 playbook and welcoming SEMA to the party, our industry’s “Drive To Thrive” is about to click up a gear!
To be continued…
Bob
