How Do Motogp Teams Make Money

Making it rain – This is how DORNA finances MotoGP teams

Manuel Pecino
March 13, 2018

Over the 26 years managing the World Championship, DORNA has tried different ways to give the championship stability. Through living and learning, Carmelo Ezpeleta—DORNA CEO – has realized that "peace" occurs through a balance between factories and private teams.

Over the 26 years managing the World Championship, DORNA has tried different ways to give the championship stability. Through living and learning, Carmelo Ezpeleta—DORNA CEO – has realized that "peace" occurs through a balance between factories and private teams. Against the power of the constructors, the Spanish boss has contrasted a series of private teams that he is responsible for keeping "alive" through financing that gives them the necessary oxygen to survive. This helps the private teams, but also the factories that rely on the championship end up under a real "rain of millions."

The conditions have been continuously changing, but upon the last inspection it all works like this:
1. All private teams receive 2 million euros per season from DORNA per rider. Since 2018, all teams have 2 riders each and thus each team receives 4 million.

DORNA is responsible for keeping "alive" through financing that gives them the necessary oxygen to survive.

2. That money is earmarked to pay for the motorcycles that the private teams lease from the factories. By agreement between DORNA and the factories these motorcycles can't cost more than 2.2 million euros, with which the builders are guaranteed at least 90% of the cost of the bike … If it reaches the maximum set total, which usually does not happen.

3. In turn, DORNA pays official teams 1 million euros per rider, of which there are two per team, but only if they have at least four bikes on the grid. That is to say, neither Suzuki nor KTM receive this DORNA bonus. In the case of Aprilia, which is not officially present as a factory in the championship but through Team Gresini, we are not clear to which regimen it belongs.

As such, Ducati, which has eight bikes on the grid, receives 2 million euros from DORNA because they are a manufacturer, with an additional 12 million coming from satellite teams. A significant income without a doubt.

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