dorna · History

In 1992, Madrid-based Dorna Sports reached the agreement with the International Motorcycling Federation (FIM), the teams’ association IRTA and the manufacturers’ body MSMA that made it the holder of the commercial and television rights to the Grand Prix motorcycle world championship. The deal brought order to a sport emerging from years of conflict between the federation and the teams. Dorna had been incorporated in Madrid on 27 May 1988, and in 2013 it added the rights to the Superbike World Championship. In February 2026, with Liberty Media as majority shareholder, it was renamed MotoGP Sports Entertainment Group.

Banesto origins

The company was founded in 1988 as Dorna Promoción del Deporte, backed by the Spanish bank Banesto, as a sports management and marketing agency headquartered in Madrid. In 1990 Banesto bought 50 per cent of its shares. Its move into motorsport came with the Grand Prix championship: in 1991 it hired Carmelo Ezpeleta to run its motorsport department, and he later took over as chief executive. The 1992 agreement between Dorna, the FIM, IRTA and MSMA gave the championship a single commercial manager, responsible for television sales, sponsorship and relations with circuits.

Changes of ownership

In 1998 the company was sold to the investment fund CVC Capital Partners for around 80 million dollars, roughly half of which went towards clearing debt, and took the name Dorna Sports. Ownership changed again in 2006. CVC had invested in Formula One, and the European Commission approved that deal on 21 March 2006 on condition that it sold Dorna. On 28 March that year CVC sold its remaining 71 per cent stake for 400 million pounds, and the fund Bridgepoint became the majority shareholder.

Youth series and new championships

In 1998 Dorna began organising the Spanish road racing championship together with the Spanish motorcycling federation, the forerunner of what later became the FIM Junior World Championship. In 2004 it created the Road to MotoGP programme to open the sport to riders from more countries, and in 2007 it launched the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup with Red Bull. In 2021 it set up the MotoMini World Series with the FIM, aimed at children starting out in racing.

Superbikes and the electric class

On 2 October 2012 it was announced that Dorna would also run the Superbike World Championship from the following season. Since 2013 it has held the series’ commercial and television rights, previously in the hands of Infront, another company in Bridgepoint’s portfolio. In February 2018 it presented an electric motorcycle world cup in Rome, the FIM Enel MotoE World Cup, using Energica bikes. Its first season, in 2019, was disrupted by a fire at Jerez that destroyed 18 bikes before racing began; after six races between July and November, Italian rider Matteo Ferrari became the first champion. The FIM granted it world championship status in October 2022, and in September 2025 the federation and Dorna agreed to put the class on hiatus after that season.

The women’s world championship

In 2024, the year the Grand Prix world championship turned 75, Dorna and the FIM created the FIM Women’s Circuit Racing World Championship (WorldWCR), a one-make series on the Yamaha R7 held on the Superbike calendar. Twenty-four riders were chosen from more than 40 applicants for the first season. The opening race was held at Misano on 15 June 2024 and was won by Spain’s María Herrera, ahead of Ana Carrasco after a last-lap fight.

The sale to Liberty Media

On 1 April 2024 Liberty Media, owner of Formula One, announced the purchase of 86 per cent of Dorna in a deal valuing the company at 4.2 billion euros. The European Commission cleared the takeover on 23 June 2025, and the deal closed on 3 July 2025: Liberty ended up with 84 per cent, with management keeping the remainder. On 16 February 2026 the company announced its new name, MotoGP Sports Entertainment Group, its first change of name since taking over the championship in 1992.