Talk about Thailand's first MotoGP
Last weekend a MotoGP took place in Thailand for the first time at the International Circuit of Buriram. As a motorcycle racing enthusiast, you must have followed the races, where the most important race had a spectacular finish with the winner being Marc Marquez.
NOS Sport broadcast this summary: nos.nl/video/ You can read a detailed match report with full results at: en.motorsport.com
Above every expectation
The Thailand MotoGP was therefore a great success from a sporting point of view and that also applies to the overall organization, the number of visitors and the financial return. Thailand's Tourism and Sports Minister Weerasak Kowsurat said the success of the inaugural Thailand MotoGP was beyond expectations. It is estimated that the races were attended by 220,000 fans and raised more than 3 billion baht. The number of visitors was the highest of the 15 MotoGPs so far this season.
The three-day event, which ended with victory for four-time world champion Marc Marquez, has not only brought Thailand a big win in its first year of a three-year contract to host MotoGP, but also a lot of praise and goodwill. “The government has invested only 100 million baht in the project and earned about 3 billion baht from it in Buriram and surrounding provinces,” the minister said during his visit to the Chang International Circuit.
Praise from all sides
The minister also said that Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of MotoGP license holder Dorna Sports, praised the organization in many respects. The man was very impressed, especially since it was the first time for Thailand to organize the MotoGP. The racers and all employees at the races were also impressed by the hospitality of the Thai people. "They will certainly help promote our country to their fans in other countries," the minister said.
The Baron of Buriram
Mr. Nawin, the big man in Buriram and owner of the Chang International Circuit, was also happy with the successful organization of the first MotoGP and dedicated the success to many people in the province for their cooperation and hospitality.
“Whenever I needed volunteers, I received full cooperation. Many brought their own E-Tan (a small Isan agricultural truck) to run as a shuttle bus, working long hours,” said Nawin.
mr. Nawin added that some things need to be improved next year. The capacity of the stands for visitors must be considerably increased from now 60.000, while the accommodation for visitors must also be increased from now 5000 to at least 10.000.
Source: The Nation
A few caveats:
1. For me, motorsport is not a sport at all. Not everyone can participate and winning or losing has much more to do with technique than with the skills of the athlete (just like Formula 1 races).
2. As is often the case, numbers in Thailand come out of the blue. 220.000 visitors spending 3 billion Baht together means an average spend of 13,600 Baht per visitor. I can't believe that – especially in Buriram – unless the tickets cost 5,000 Baht or the hotels and restaurants scammed the visitors.
3. This expenditure is not an EXTRA expenditure for the country, but a large part of the relocation of consumption within Thailand. I am convinced that most of the visitors were residents of this country (Thai and expats) and did not fly in from abroad especially for this event. So: nice for the regional economy but of little significance nationally.
I was there Friday and Saturday and luckily many, many people think it is a sport, and I can tell you (I have done 10 motorcycle races myself) that indeed technique determines a large part, but also certainly the driver.
The numbers will certainly have been met, here in Asia they are a bit crazier about motorsport than in Europe, I was told by a Team manager on Friday that when he arrived at Suvarnabhumi Airport there were well over 10.000 people waiting to catch a glimpse of Rossi ….
Furthermore, a ticket costs between 25 and 256 € depending on how many days and which grandstand and access you have.
Dear Chris,
May I ask you if this motorsport is not a sport why you still comment ???
First of all , I have to tell you that you know absolutely nothing about that sport .
These men train every day to the limit in all areas: running, fitness, swimming, etc.... and they are on a motorcycle like that every day.
Do you realize what it is to be able to control such a power source, have you heard of the g-forces that this produces on your body?, These are top pilots !!!!
I can say that I am an experienced motorcyclist and I can't match them for 100 km.
I was there during the whole GP , it was fantastic and very well organized , there are always things that could be better but it was more than fine .
On our way there as well as on the way back we were received fantastically everywhere, even escorted by the police.
Should it be the same in Belgium where there is one of the best slopes in the world and where the weeds are now growing because thousands of laws have been conjured up and this GP will never be allowed.
We met people from all over the world who had specially organized a 3-day trip to attend this event, and all these people spent according to their means and the whole of Thailand and far beyond enjoyed this success because it really was! !!!
I myself am very happy with this event and in Thailand they really make you feel that you are more than welcome as a motorcyclist, that is also one of the reasons that I live in Thailand because Thailand is still top for me, the negatives that there would be no way out against the positives at all and if we were not happy here tomorrow then we should leave because it is not up to us to change Thai culture and I don't see why we should change it because I find myself in it perfectly,
There are people who love songbirds, people who love football, cycling, etc., let's every person enjoy what he likes to do and what sport or hobby he can enjoy and every sport or hobby deserves his respect. .
CP
I respond primarily to the economic figures, and the estimate of the income. If the tickets indeed cost between 1000 and 10.000 Baht, I can imagine what the average spending is.
I don't think a number of sports are real sports because there is no low threshold. Not every child can start motorcycling or car racing at the age of 8. These kinds of spectacles are entertainment but not sport in my opinion. Also because the final result depends much more on technique (and all technical help) than on the qualities of the individual participant. Why doesn't the driver fill up the tank himself or change the tires himself? I feel strengthened when I read that drivers want to switch to another team because then they can become world champions. Apparently the car, the Mercedes, is more important than Verstappen. In addition, this branch of 'sport' is also life-threatening. I estimate that the percentage of (fatal) accidents in motorcycle and car racing is many times higher than in all other sports combined. (also because there are only a small number of participants).
So it's not about training, because let's be honest: for many other branches of work and sports you also have to be trained.
Well well, what sour and strange comments about an event that has been very positively assessed by many (sports) enthusiasts. Had a bad weekend?
What is a lot?
Glad it turned out to be a success. But hopefully people will not think that Formula 1 will also be such a success.
There is only one location that really makes money from the premier class of motorsport and that is Monaco.
The rest suffer moderate to large losses.
What a mind from above, no skill? Someone says, look into a motorcycle GP rider... he really doesn't get up and eat his fill or anything... they can easily participate in gymnastics... a motorcycle GP rider is also not comparable to an F1 driver... it's time to complain again. .gr. Marcel
The entire race was broadcast on Eurosport. It was certainly a spectacular race and it all looked very neat. Nice job too. I can imagine that Thailand, after the loss of Malaysia, will now do everything possible to bring in Formula 1 as well. Good luck Thailand!
Quite a nice and clear story Gringo. But do realize that this event is only for Thailand's elite. Most Thais have to work 2 to 3 weeks for a 2/3 day access card. I also wanted to go here with some friends. When we realized that this event can hardly be attended by the ordinary Thai people, we decided against this. Very sorry. Let's hope that this event can also be visited by the common people in the future. Then I will definitely go there with friends. Alex
Alex, the world doesn't work like that. I myself do not belong to the wealthy class, I come from a working-class family and now I have to look after my money. But I think there are events that are just for those who can afford them. By making something accessible to the common people, you also attract the hooligans. Nature reserves are being destroyed by the masses of ordinary people. The biggest polluters are the ordinary people who do it by their masses. Not every individual.
For me it can remain an elite sport and ordinary people can watch it at home on their regular TV.
What a great Race !!!
Beautiful to see, until the last corner it was not clear who would win.
That is different with Formula 1 nowadays :-)
It is a pity that the ordinary Thai cannot visit the event, but the TT Assen is also super expensive in terms of tickets. Thailand is no exception to that.
I think it's a great initiative by the Thai government that they managed to get the event.