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Dorna Sports S.L., owner of the commercial rights for GP racing (Moto3, Moto2, MotoGP, and MotoE) and the Superbike World Championship (including SSP 300 and SSP 600), recently extended its contracts with the FIM until 2060. The GP contract was previously valid until 2041 and the SBK until 2036. Nobody would argue about the fact that, under the domination of Dorna Sports, the overall growth of MotoGP has excelled all expectations since the FIM's takeover in 1992. This partnership has also expanded the popularity and reach of motorcycle racing worldwide, from the fundamentals to the highest levels of professional competition. FIM World Championships considered under this agreement - including the Superbike World Championship since 2015, the FIM MotoE World Championship since 2019, the FIM JuniorGP World Championship since 2019, and the FIM Women’s Circuit Racing World Championship since 2023 - can hopefully look forward to many more years of success thanks to the extension of the contract.
But how much longer will fans around the world be able to watch these thrilling races with combustion engines? Since EU politicians would prefer to ban the sale of new combustion vehicles by 2035, when e-vehicles will replace the existing combustion engines in the various motorcycle racing series?
“We'll continue to ride with combustion engines forever,” Stefan Pierer, CEO of Pierer Mobility (with the brands KTM, Husqvarna, GASGAS and the majority shareholding in MV Agusta Motor) declared two years ago. Then, when asked for a more specific answer, he added: “Definitely until 2035. Until then, I don't see any replacement for combustion engines in GP racing.”
Stefan Pierer is CEO of the largest motorcycle manufacturer in Europe, which sold no fewer than 377,200 motorcycles in 2023, and he has never hidden his lack of enthusiasm for e-mobility. Stefan Pierer was President of ACEM, the Association of European Motorcycle Manufacturers, from 2017 to 2022. At the time, he explained: “As President of ACEM, I can say that, unlike the automotive industry, we have a clear global vision of where the journey is heading. We assume that with 48-volt electrics up to the A1 class, which is 11 kilowatts or 15 hp, a lot will become electric in the next ten years, especially in Europe. This applies to scooters and mopeds. All the two-strokes will disappear. Everything that concerns motorized two-wheels over 48 volts is moving towards e-fuels. There are very clear development plans among the manufacturers. And we also see this happening in the MotoGP World Championship,” added Pierer.
Since 2024, at least 40% of the fuel in all classes of the FIM Grand Prix World Championship must be of non-fossil origin. Starting in 2027, the fuel must consist of 100% non-fossil raw materials.
“Electromobility is nonsense that's being pushed by scientifically illiterate politicians. It's nonsense that's been put on the table,” the Styrian raged. “For a MotoGP motorcycle, which today runs a GP distance on 22 liters of fuel and produces almost 300 hp, you'd need a 500 kg battery to achieve a comparable performance and range and create the same energy density. You have to come up with something that stupid first. We've had 100,000 spectators at MotoGP events for many years who show up because of the combustion engines.”
Pierer sees little sustainability in the MotoE World Championship races. “The MotoE batteries in the paddock are charged with diesel generators, which emit CO2 emissions into the atmosphere that make you sick,” he said, astounded.
And what will happen to the millions of cars and motorcycles on the road around the world if politicians fully embrace e-mobility? “Synthetic fuel is the solution, not electric,” Stefan Pierer said, ”because this fuel is CO2-free. You also have to look at how many precious raw materials are needed to produce an electric car compared to a conventional car.”
And perhaps hydrogen will soon become a sustainable replacement for petroleum-based fuels for combustion engines if it can be produced 100% CO2-neutrally thanks to huge solar plants in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
So far, enthusiastic MotoGP fans have found little to like about MotoE racing, even though Ducati V21L single-brand bikes represent a huge technical advancement over the dreary Energica Ego Corsa models. In order to maximize the power of the electric transmission and, therefore, performance and range, the entire system is based on a voltage of 800 V. But the total weight of the Ducati V21L is 225 kg, and the battery alone weighs 100 kg but, at best, they equal the Moto3 lap times achieved by 250cc single-cylinder combustion bikes with just under 60 hp, which weigh a total of 148 kg and are, therefore, significantly more efficient.
The minimum weight for a MotoGP has been set at 157 kg. The new 850cc MotoGP engines will at least last from 2027 up to and including 2031. If another 5-year period is then added, the combustion engines could survive at least until the end of 2036.
But if an electric VW Golf battery already weighs 345 kg today, you can imagine that the efficiency of a current MotoGP engine cannot even be achieved with a 500 kg battery. “Predictions are difficult, especially when they concern the future,” the humorously gifted German physicist Niels Bohr once said.
I'n also convinced that:
1. until cars with combustion engines are produced, it is not the politicians who decide, but the customer;
2. the spectators at the racetracks and in front of the TV screens will decide until the MotoGP will be raced without electricity.
What has happened to the much-vaunted Formula E? Does it still exist? Yes, but it leads a miserable shadowy existence. The season finale took place on July 20th-21st in the covered ExCel exhibition hall in London. The new center of the global motorsport world? All I know is that the big car manufacturers have dropped out of Formula E in droves. Nobody ever wanted to pay any entrance fee for the races. And the well-known TV stations are not interested in the TV rights.
