This year, the MotoGP calendar is expected to have a record of 21 Grand Prix races, which amounts to 42 races considering the Sprint races. In 2023, injuries to the riders were constant and Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of Dorna, believes that a reserve rider would be useful for each team.
The Spaniard told Marca newspaper that the risk of injuries with the current format is higher, but it is also necessary for MotoGP to evolve to keep up with the competition: ‘It is evident that with more races, there are more possibilities of injuries. But the sport has to evolve. We not only compete with other sports, but also with other forms of entertainment, and we have to look to have the necessary audience to be able to do that‘.
Ezpeleta also made a recommendation to the teams: ‘I don’t know if they realized it or not, but that is not a choice that I can give them. They have to decide. If I were from a factory, I would have a reserve rider. Now the only one that is doing well in that, to a certain extent, is KTM, which has Pol [Espargaró] and Dani [Pedrosa]’.
