MotoGP to offer EUR 200K for teams signing non-Italian/Spanish Riders
MotoGP’s new owner, Liberty Media, is offering teams an incentive of up to EUR 200,000 if they sign eligible riders. But there’s a catch: the rider must be neither Italian nor Spanish, must win the Moto3 championship, and must secure at least four race victories.
EUR 200,000 is equivalent to PHP 13.8 million (as of this writing).
non-Italians, non-Spaniards
It’s no secret that MotoGP is dominated by elite riders from Italy and Spain. Seven-time MotoGP champion Marc Márquez hails from Spain, while racing icon Valentino Rossi comes from Italy. Even today, that dominance remains clear as the current 22-rider MotoGP grid, only seven riders are neither Italian nor Spanish.
MotoGP’s new owner is looking to change that by rolling out a set of incentives for teams that sign riders from outside Italy and Spain. Teams can earn up to EUR 200,000 if their rider wins the Moto3 Junior World Championship and secures at least four race victories. A rider finishing second overall with three wins earns the team EUR 100,000, while a third-place finish with two wins brings EUR 50,000.
For Moto2, teams will receive a EUR 100,000 incentive if their rider wins the European Championship and records at least four race victories.
Could this new incentive program finally open the door for the Philippines’ young racing talents to step onto the world stage? With teams now financially encouraged to look beyond traditional European powerhouses and even the well-established pipelines of Thailand and Indonesia, promising Pinoy riders, long overshadowed in the global scene, may finally get a fighting chance to prove themselves in international competition. It may be a small opening, but with the right support and development, it is an opportunity worth taking seriously.
