MotoGP US expansion incoming? - "A Couple different Interests"
New Dorna CCO Dan Rossomondo has been on the job for about 2 months. The American plans a major MotoGP expansion in the US.
In early April, Dorna Sports announced they found a new Chief Commercial Officer in former NBA senior vice president of global partnerships and media Dan Rossomondo.
Since then the American has been touring the world and finding new partners and sponsors for MotoGP. In an interview with Sports Business Journal he reveals what the main goal for his work is.
The American gives an insight into his first talks with Dorna. “One of the really fruitful conversations I’ve had was when I was joining Dorna and MotoGP and they said, ‘We need you to help us come up with a strategy for the U.S. and execute it.’”
Rossomondo has big plans for the US market – more races, more events, more marketing. “We’re working on that in a variety of ways, dovetailing digital media and our event-based operations.”
“We’re in conversations with some people about that. It’s not something we can solve overnight, but there’s a couple different interested parties.”
MotoGP Needs A More Aggressive Marketing Style
The American wants to focus on a more aggressive marketing style to promote MotoGP in the future. This already starts with the recruitment of possible partners.
“We’re going to pursue [talks with potential US partners] aggressively because the best way to market the sport is exposing it to more people.”
Dorna would like to emulate Formula 1 and its level of growth in recent years as quickly as possible. Rossomondo, however, warns of too great expectations.
After all, safety concerns would hinder a quickly established street race like the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Miami.
“Unlike our compatriots at F1, we can’t race everywhere; we have to race on tracks that are built for the safety of our riders. We need people to build circuits specifically for MotoGP.”
