This year, the MotoGP calendar is set to have a record 21 Grand Prix races, equivalent to 42 races considering Sprint races. In 2023, injuries to riders were constant, and Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of Dorna, believes that having a reserve rider for each team would be beneficial.
The Spanish executive stated to Marca that the risk of injuries with the current format is higher, but it is necessary for MotoGP to evolve to compete with others: ‘It is evident that with more races, there are more possibilities of injuries. But the sport has to evolve. We compete not only 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 gave a recommendation to the teams: ‘I don’t know if they understood it or not, but that is not a choice that I can give them. They have to decide. If I were a factory, I would have a reserve rider. Now the only one that is okay with that, at a certain level, is KTM, which has Pol [Espargaró] and Dani [Pedrosa]’.