Podcast: Where is new money going to come from in MotoGP?

As the winter shutdown begins to thaw and preparations for the 2026 MotoGP season begin, teams are beginning to make more announcements.

One of those was confirmation by LCR of its team name and title sponsor for Diogo Moreira’s rookie season.

The reigning Moto2 world champion bucks the trend of Asian riders being placed on the second LCR bike, which was previously sponsored by Idemitsu.

With Moreira replacing Somkiat Chantra, he will be sponsored by Pro Honda, and will run a completely different livery to that used last year on that side of the LCR garage.

It’s a safe sponsor and a guarantee that LCR will be well-supported by Honda.

However, it raises an interesting point about the sponsorship appeal in MotoGP currently and the overall lack of major title partners that are involved in series such as Formula 1.

The team discuss this in the latest Crash MotoGP Podcast, as well as other stories to hit the headlines, such as Fermin Aldeguer’s injury and Marc Marquez’s return to riding.

Download the Crash MotoGP Podcast Here

“I think the keyword here is ‘aspirational’,” Senior Journalist Lewis Duncan said on the topic of how MotoGP attracts news sponsors.

“Formula 1 has positioned itself over the last five, six years as a very aspirational brand. You look at some of the sponsorship involved there, high-end sponsors, things that young people especially want to engage with. It’s the same with the NFL, with the NBA.

“ You look at the celebrities who come along. It’s that type of thing and that means something to younger… ultimately, what you are trying to hook in is the generation with money. I Unfortunately, these things survive off of people willing to pay their money and you want young people with money, who buy into that aspirational lifestyle, buying into it.

“Whether they are ‘true’ fans or not is irrelevant. I see this argument a lot when it comes to ticket prices, [people complaining] about ‘true fans’ being priced out. Unfortunately, in this horrible, capitalist society we live in, a ‘true’ fan is the fan with the deepest pockets.”