The running of the MXGP World Championship is very much something that takes millions and millions of dollars, not only from Infront Moto Racing, who promote the series, but also from the teams, and individual promoters of the FIM Motocross World Championships.
The cost of containers full of bikes, parts, and infrastructure for the Infront Moto Racing event continue to rise as the World economy struggles through what has been one of the toughest periods in the last 50 years. Still, the MXGP championship continues to grow, as do the factory riders in the MXGP and MX2 classes. There is no doubt, despite a World economy that is often on its knees, we see improvements in our sport and that comes down to the teamwork between Infront and the teams.
We spoke to this morning and while he is excited for 2025 and his final message to us was the Monster Energy Yamaha 450 team is ready to race, with three fit riders, he also showed some concern for the costs for privateer teams and the vulnerability with some of the rounds of the 2025 championship.
We decided to give Infront Moto Racing President, Giuseppe Luongo a call and ask him his opinion of what 2025 might bring and the questions about the privateer teams, the rise in factory riders in MXGP and also a meeting he has with the most polarized rider from the last 15 years, Jeffrey Herlings, who had been critical of Infront in the last.
As always, Mr Luongo was straight forward and gave us the answers many people might want to know.
MXLarge: I know you are a very positive person and like to stay positive. Throughout 2024 and even in the past, some riders have complained, either about tracks or where we travel, and Jeffrey Herlings was one of those riders. We all saw that you invited Jeffrey for a dinner, and he mentioned on his social media how much he appreciated that. I totally understand you wouldn't want to talk about some things that were mentioned in the dinner but is there anything you can mention. As probably the most polarizing rider of this era and somebody who we all respect, his opinion is obviously held in high regard, as is yours.
G.Luongo: Between Jeffrey and us there is a great mutual respect. Jeffrey started his career at the bottom of the pyramid, and he has arrived at the top the pyramid since many years. He knows very well that a big part of his economic success is due to his talent, his management, and also our management of the World Championship which has aided many top riders in significantly increasing their salaries. Jeffrey is also an intelligent young man, and it was a pleasure to discuss together as he has many topics of interest, not only Motocross but life in general. For sure I heard and also understand his points of view, but he also understands ours. Sure, there are areas where we need to improve some aspects of the Championship, some of these areas depend on us directly, others depend on FIM and some also depend on the riders and teams. I don’t have any doubt about Jeffrey’s loyalty towards the FIM Motocross World Championship.
MXLarge: I remember having a conversation with you many years ago, when you first mentioned your plans for the system you have now, with more overseas travel, different classes involved in MXGP to grow the depth of the series and its riders and also more factory commitment. It was probably 20 years ago, and everything you dreamt of has happened. We now have around 30 riders racing for factory teams, from the Japanese and the Europeans brands. Hans Corvers mentioned to us in an interview that the extra interest from Japan, in his opinion, is because of the fact the series is becoming more and more Worldwide. In your opinion, are we already at our maximum for factory riders on the line, or do you see one day that MXGP is full factory?
G.Luongo: Frankly we are very close to having all factory teams in MXGP because if you look carefully at the riders who make the whole series (apart from the injured riders), they are true factory riders and just a few very strong support teams. The very high professionalism of the factory teams and riders and the very high performance of the factory bikes today make it very difficult for support riders and almost impossible for privateer riders. But that’s how it is in all professional sports, you cannot see an amateur football player playing in the premier division Liverpool team or a support driver driving in a F1 team, or MotoGP, etc. Our pyramid system works very well, with young riders making their school in the lower classes and working their way up gradually until the good ones make it to the top.
MXlarge: With rounds in Argentina, China, Indonesia and Australia, plus the MXoN in America, we have a lot of travel. I know for the factory teams this is a situation that is easy to fit into their budgets, but for the privateer teams, it's a bigger challenge. You have in the past always tried to help the privateer teams, do you have any plans in the future or even this year to give them a hand with so many fly-away races.
G.Luongo: Teams who enter the whole World Championship receive a very good support concerning the freight, the kilos we supply them is enough for a privateer rider to bring their bike and tools, and onsite bike washing machines and air pressure machines among other equipment are supplied locally so the riders are not obliged to carry these heavy materials with them. The survival of the World Championship for everyone depends a lot on the overseas events, because the economy in Europe is stagnant, however in many parts of the world the economy is growing, and this provides us all more opportunities in terms of visibility, sponsorship and new markets.
MXLarge: As you have mentioned many times in the past, putting a calendar together for a season is very difficult, with governments changing, or financial situations in different countries changing. What has been the biggest challenges for the 2025 calendar and are some races under threat because of possible changes with governments or other situations?
G.Luongo: We always try to make the best calendar, but as you have seen, especially in the last few years, all around the world there have been a lot of events that are completely out of our control but have a huge impact on all of us: epidemics, wars, drastic governmental changes. All these events create instability not only for the World Motocross Championship calendar but for the everyday life for us all, and we have to deal with and adjust practically every day, but we never surrender. When we face a hurdle somewhere we find solutions elsewhere and we always try, and with success to have the calendar as stable and as best as possible.
MXLarge: We have the current situation with KTM, which is a huge blow for the sport, but seems to be resolving itself and we all wish KTM the best as they are such a major part of the sport. I would assume you cannot talk about your relationship with KTM, and any business deals you have with them, but can you give me your opinion of this legendary brand and what they mean not only to MXGP, but so many other sports as well. We see them winning A1 and the Dakar rally, even in these tough times, which says a lot about KTM as a company.
G.Luongo: KTM is one of the biggest pillars of our sport, KTM represents more than 1/3 of our paddock, and not only in the major classes, but also in the extremely important youth and support classes (European Championships, National Championships, etc). KTM has always invested in the youth and the loss of KTM would be dramatic for our sport as a whole - probably not too dramatical for the very top riders who could find another top team, but much more dramatical for the riders at the base of the pyramid, for all the young riders. However fortunately I believe Mr Stefan Pierer is an extremely strong and smart man who especially gives his best and shines in front of obstacles, he is a fighter, and he has a special talent in the world of finance. For sure they are going through a very tough moment but I’m confident that they will manage to get through it, and I really hope they will continue to be present and strong in our sport for a very long time, as they always have been.
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