In March, MotoGP owner Dorna took two unprecedented steps. First, Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) Manel Arroyo – a fixture in the Spanish company since it took over motorcycle racing’s Grand Prix world championship in 1992 – was moved on. Second, it looked beyond Catalunya – where its major office is based – for his replacement.
The name of that replacement was a surprise to many. Dan Rossomondo was not just American, with a wealth of experience working at high level in sports Stateside; he boasts nearly 17 years of experience working at the National Basketball Association (NBA), the second biggest sport in the US – a market where MotoGP has failed to gain a foothold in recent decades.
Many are keen to find out what effect Rossomondo’s appointment will have on MotoGP. While at times his predecessor failed to grasp the changing media landscape (websites had to pay Dorna for a media pass up until the beginning of this year), the Georgetown University graduate appears to have a better understanding of that aspect in 2023.
Of Rossomondo’s appointment, Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta said: “We realise internally this is a moment (when we’re asking) how can we attract more spectators, how can we make the sport, which is fantastic, even better? And for that we decided to be in the place where there are more global sports in the world. It’s (because of) that we took this decision.”
Since his appointment, there have been a few
