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By Riccardo Tafà| Posted October 16, 2024
The year 2027 will mark a momentous turning point for the MotoGP, with the introduction of new rules designed to make the sport safer, more sustainable and more spectacular. The bikes will be designed for more efficiency and even more overtaking, while maintaining the adrenaline rush that fans around the world love. In the future of MotoGP, technology and sustainability meet to deliver an unprecedented spectacle.
Starting in 2027, new MotoGP bikes will be synonymous with efficiency and innovation. These beasts, designed to reduce environmental impact, promise to further improve racing, let’s see how.
One of the main changes will concern the engines, whose displacement will decrease from 1000 cc to 850 cc. This reduction will result in a decrease in power and top speed, making racing safer and less impactful in terms of fuel consumption. The maximum cylinder diameter will be reduced from 81 mm to 75 mm. The maximum number of engines available to each driver will also be reduced from seven to six, emphasizing reliability and strategic resource management.
MotoGP takes a further step toward sustainability: from 2027 all bikes will run on 100% sustainable fuels, exceeding the 40% mix planned for 2024. In addition, tank capacity will be reduced from 22 to 20 liters for standard races, and to only 11 liters for Sprint Races, further pushing energy efficiency.
Aerodynamics will also be revised. The front part of the fairing will be reduced by 50 mm in both width and depth, minimizing the influence of aerodynamics on pure performance. The effects of these changes are expected to be very noticeable in straight-ahead and braking. At the rear, aerodynamics will become an integral part of homologation and can only be updated once per season, with the aim of keeping costs down by limiting ongoing research.
Starting in 2027, all ride-height and holeshot devices will be banned. This change will make starts safer; riders will have to rely only on their experience and skills to get the most out of their bikes.
With a view to greater fairness among teams, GPS data from all drivers will be shared at the end of each session. This will also allow less competitive teams to analyze the performance of the best teams and improve, helping to make the sport more balanced and competitive. Data sharing will provide fans with more details about the performance of riders and bikes.
The concession system introduced in 2023 will continue, but from 2027 it will be updated to better reflect manufacturers’ performance. All teams will start the season in Rank B group, with the option to move up or down a category during the summer of 2027 based on their results. This will provide more balance among the teams and encourage tighter competition from the first to thelast Grand Prix.
With an increasing focus on sustainability and technological innovation, MotoGP offers improved sponsorship opportunities for all those sectors particularly concerned with CSR and environmental impact. In this sense, the changes in 2027 create compelling opportunities; in fact, aligning with a championship that emphasizes sustainability and cutting-edge technology allows sponsors to reach an international, diverse and trend-conscious audience. MotoGP allows brands to build loyalty and meaningful relationships with consumers in exciting and relevant ways.
MotoGP will introduce an engine development freeze for the next two seasons, allowing teams to focus on preparing for the new technical regulations, which come into effect in 2027. This freeze, valid from the 2025 season, will allow manufacturers to devote most of their resources to the design of new machinery without having to invest additional funds in engine development during this transition period. Starting with the 2025 Thai Grand Prix, teams will submit a standard engine that will be homologated and remain unchanged throughout the season, with a maximum limit of eight engines per team per year. Honda and Yamaha, which are currently subject to concessions, will be exempt from the freeze unless there are significant improvements in performance during the last races of the season.
Throughout its history, MotoGP has witnessed several regulatory changes that have significantly altered the sport. Understanding these transformations offers valuable insight into the potential impact of the new 2027 regulations.
In 2002, MotoGP switched from 500 cc two-stroke engines to more powerful 990 cc four-stroke engines. This change revitalized the sport, offering greater speed and performance, stimulating technological innovation and increasing competitiveness among manufacturers.
In 2007, engine displacement was reduced from 990 cc to 800 cc. This change stimulated the development of aerodynamics and electronics, increasing the competitiveness of racing.
Since 2012, MotoGP has returned to the use of 1000cc engines, leaving behind the never-loved 800cc displacement. The motivation was mainly commercial, 800cc motorcycles were not for sale, consuers could instead purchase 1000s, a displacement that more resonated with what they were used to.
The introduction of a single electronic control unit for all teams in 2016 helped reduce costs and level the playing field, improving the spectacularity of competitions. These historical precedents demonstrate how regulatory changes can affect both the technical aspects of the sport and its global competitiveness and attractiveness.
The year 2027 will mark the beginning of a new era for MotoGP™, where safety, sustainability and spectacle will take center stage. The new bikes will be safer and more sustainable, without sacrificing the speed and adrenaline that characterize the sport. Let’s get ready for a MotoGP that will not only be on the cutting edge of technology, but will also be a model of sustainability in motorsport.
Are you ready to explore the transformative power of athlete sponsorship for your brand? Click here to learn more about how sponsorship can help brands grow and thrive in the exciting world of motorsports.
Managing Director for RTR Sports, Riccardo graduated in law at the University of Bologna. He began his career in London in PR, then started working in two and four-wheelers. A brief move to Monaco followed before returning to Italy. There he founded RTR, first a consulting firm and then a sports marketing company which, eventually, he moved back to London.
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By doing so, we are convinced that we are shortening the value chain, saving time and money. However, these DYI methods are anything but risk-free and what initially appears to be a competitive advantage soon turns into a problem that is difficult to resolve. That’s why there are agencies. And this is why you should rely on us for your sponsorships.
When first approaching a sponsorship or sports marketing project, it is difficult to know immediately which stakeholders are correct, what the decision flow is, and what the right timelines are for each process. Sports is a very specialized field of action, and fitting effectively into its paths can take a lot of time and therefore money. We, on the other hand, know referents and spheres of action and know who to talk to, when and how. So you are also more effective.
Sports is an immense passion, and for our heart colors we would be willing to do anything. But business is a different business, and it is important to make the best possible strategic decisions based on independent research, statistics and reliable data. A sports marketing and sports sponsorship agency like RTR has an objective, 360-degree picture of the scenario and can tell you what is really best for you: which sport, which athlete, which team. This is because we possess a great deal of data and information on ratings, segmentation and attitudes. Because the numbers don’t lie. Never.
Activations are the real heart of sports sponsorship. Without them, there remains only a blank sticker on a motorcycle, car or uniform and no contact with the public, no emotional connection, no impact on the bottom line. Then how do you do it? It certainly won’t be the teams or the athletes who will help you leverage sponsorship and enjoy the many marketing rights you have paid for. To bring out the best in a sports marketing project you need an agency that knows how to use sponsorship to engage the fanbase on the Web, to reach out to Shopping Centers, to organize hospitality, to develop B2B and B2C opportunities, and to get “your” athletes in front of millions of potential consumers.
Would you ever go to the dealer who sold you the car and ask if the competitor’s car is better? No, of course. So, how do you expect to get firm measurements of the effectiveness of your sponsorship if you do not rely on someone super partes? At RTR, we have always worked with independent third-party agencies that allow us to know the return on any exposure of your brand on TV and in the media. In addition, we believe in calculating ROI as the ultimate measure of your success-so we can tell you for every penny you spend how much you are making.
We have been involved in sports sponsorship and sports marketing for more than 15 years. We are consultants in the sense that our goal is to maximize your investment, but we are also an agency that manages the project from start to finish. We have been doing this since 1995 with passion and professionalism, following three principles that have become cornerstones of our business: independence, verticality and transparency.
I would like to highlight the fact that one of the qualities of RTR is its great ability to approach the sponsorship scenario strategically, together with its passionate attitude, its amazing enthusiasm for solving problems, and its high level of professionalism.
Gianluca Degliesposti
Executive Director Server&Storage EMEA
Eurosport is truly delighted with its business relationship with Riccardo Tafà, who has become extremely popular, thanks to his detailed knowledge of the sports marketing sector and his highly diligent attitude to work.
Francois Ribeiro
Commercial Director
Passion and Expertise are the features that I have found in RTR since the very beginning. Serious and reliable professionals but also very helpful, nice and open-mind people, willing to listen and compare different ideas. All the values in which RTR believes make this agency a partner, not just a supplier, a partner with whom we have had the opportunity to achieve significant commercial results in term of success and image.
Luca Pacitto
Head of Communication
We have been working with RTR Sports Marketing for over 10 years. The objectives and the programmes of collaboration continue to be renewed and to grow with mutual satisfaction. I believe RTR is a team of great professionals led by Riccardo Tafà, who I consider a manager of exceptional skills and with a great passion for his work.
Lucio Cecchinello
Team Principal
I have known and worked with Riccardo Tafà since 1995 when we collaborated for the first time on a project for the Williams Formula 1 team. Several clients followed. After leaving Williams to work for Gerhard Berger then owner of the Toro Rosso F1 Team, I turned again to Riccardo to seek his help in finding a tool supplier for the team and Riccardo duly obliged with an introduction to USAG, a partnership with Toro Rosso which endured for five years. I recently started a new role as Group Commercial Director for the renowned Andretti Autosport organisation and I find myself working with Riccardo once again on a number of interesting projects. Why has this relationship with Riccardo endured ? He’s smart, knows the commercial side of sport inside out and back to front and he’s honest and trustworthy. Riccardo Tafà is a “doer” not a “talker”: in over 20 years I have never had a dispute either with him or with a company that he has introduced and each partnership introduced by Riccardo has delivered quantifiable ROI to rights holder and sponsor alike. I can think of no better testimonial of Riccardo’s diligence, knowledge, contact base and hard work than that.
Jim Wright
Group Commercial Director
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