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Lone Wolf and MotoGP's Donington Park return

If bets had been taken, the clear favourite to retain MotoGP in 2015, even as a rent event, would have been Silverstone. So what went wrong for an iconic track, one of the most famous in the world, which left circuit boss Richard Phillips muttering bitterly about his rival's shortcomings and suggesting darkly that Dorna and their new found friends, the Circuit of Wales, might regret it?

Three factors swung it:

1) Relationships between Silverstone and Dorna had deteriorated during negotiations on the extension of the existing contract when the circuit offered a much lower figure, on the. basis they couldn't afford to continue at the existing or even higher rate being talked about and assuming that Donington would not be able to do so either. They discounted the Circuit of Wales as being a serious contender.

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2) Silverstone's vast expanse is costly to run, even though MotoGP does not use the huge pits area, the Wing, built for F1. Donington, on the other hand, is more compact with a shorter circuit and it was always likely they could charge a more competitive price. Neither circuit is in business to lose money but Silverstone, which has had its own financial difficulties, made a point of stating that they weren't prepared to run anything at a loss.

3) Donington wanted it more. They did their sums carefully but whereas Silverstone, and its owners the British Racing Drivers Club, is steeped in car racing with F1 heritage and circuit to match, Donington is a great bike circuit with its F1 ambitions, and scars left by a previous madcap management, left as part of a glorious past.

It may be for only one year but even those who believe the ambitious Welsh proposal can succeed have some doubts about its readiness for 2016. Meantime, roll on MotoGP Donington 2015. It is a massive challenge, you will have to up your game - a lot! But the JCBs are probably revving up as we speak and Tom Wheatcroft, who always loved getting one over the BRDC, will be chuckling away somewhere.

MotoGP On A Roll?

But the crowds - 75,000 on race day - which flocked to Silverstone for MotoGP last weekend are an indication of the growing appeal of the premier road racing championship according to Dorna boss Carmelo Ezpeleta. The Spanish marketing company, which owns the rights to the series, is cockahoop at attendances this season.

This is more than enough to put a smile on the wily Spaniard's face but what pleases him particularly is that it is in direct contrast to F1 where his opposite number, the redoubtable octagenarian Bernie Ecclestone, who is having to resort to all sorts of tricks to shore up falling crowds - like double points at the final round or issuing his drivers with boxing gloves.

For this he has to thank his wunderkind Marquez, the resurgence of Rossi and, it has to be said, a more competitive grid resulting in better racing outside the top four. Ezpeleta should take the credit for the latter in his continuing battle with the Japanese manufacturers and their historic role in deciding the technical specifications which has had the effect of reducing the grid not filling it. But that is not their responsibility!

The little bit of uncertainty which still surrounds the future of the British Grand Prix, despite the venue for next year's event having been settled, won't bother Dorna too much. They will get their money either way.

Not bothered either, perhaps, by the abysmal viewing figures on BT Sport. So far this year they have been not much more than 150,000 even on race day with a daily average over the weekend much less than that. The boys at Eurosport can barely disguise their glee as the figures for British Superbikes are well ahead. BT have paid Dorna several million for the privilege of attracting such paltry numbers. Eurosport pay BSB somewhere between nil and zero!

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The involvement, and power, of the big four has undoubtedly been diluted although still considerable. In Dealer News, the trade magazine of the British motorcycle industry (although not the mouthpiece) columnist Roger Willis wonders why the manufacturers bother to support MotoGP at all, opining that as the sales of sports bikes are on remorseless decline and that the "win on Sunday, sell on Monday" adage is long past its sell-by date, they're wasting their money paying people like Rossi a fortune as it isn't going to change anything.

He dismisses the other old adage that racing improves the breed as technological advancements are now being ditched by most racing series and exclaims: "Far better that bike manufacturers should move the whole emphasis of their marketing towards getting new bums on seats instead of forlornly trying to sell speed to reformed junkies who have chosen life in a slower lane. The Doctor's medicine is now the wrong description."

But maybe it is Roger who has got it wrong. It is all about television audiences and branding. Honda sell a mere five per cent of their total output on Europe. They want to sell Honda products to the rest of the world whether they be scooters, cruisers or, come to that, anything else. Sports bikes are neither here nor there. It is all about the brand and the power of TV.

Which brings me back to audience figures and BT versus the BBC - 150,000 versus 1,000,000! Great result for the coffers of Dorna and their investors. Not quite so good for the selling of the sport or - come to it - bikes of any description.

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Not So Super...

And while on the subject of audiences, Mr Ezpeleta is putting on a brave face at the inexorable decline of World Superbikes, bought to strengthen his hand against the manufacturers.

It is good to hear him talk about the importance of WSBK and its future but it is when he talks about putting on a good show in the UK, while denying that it ever attracted bigger crowds than MotoGP even in the Fogarty era (yes the figure of 130,000 at Brands is far fetched), and suggests having a different venue every year, that you know he is not being serious here.

Now they have secured MotoGP, will Donington want it next year? And as there is no other circuit which can stage it other than Silverstone, which probably wouldn't have it for nothing, then he is being more than optimistic.

To return it to anything near it's previous glory, Dorna needs to do much more than simply making it cheaper for the teams. A big re-marketing effort is required and that is unlikely.

How Much?

The money which live sport can extract from television is plumbing the heights of unbelievability - for some that is. Football seems to corner most of it and if people think the several million BT paid for MotoGP was a lot then it pales to insignificance compared to the £1bn they paid for the rights to the European Champions League - football of course.

But read this and weep! NASCAR, which every weekend has gigantic gas-guzzling cars speeding round and round banked speedways like Daytona, has just signed up to a TV deal worth almost £6bn - yes billion - over ten years. But then NASCAR is third only to American football and baseball in TV ratings.

Even more interesting, however, is where they money goes. Sixty five percent (65 per cent) goes to the circuits, 25 per cent to the teams and ten per cent to NASCAR, the sanctioning body. NASCAR is owned by the founding France family which controls a publicly listed company called the International Speedway Corporation which, in turn, owns many of the tracks.

Owning the tracks and controlling the series. Nice little number!

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