LATEST: “I hope that Liberty shakes up MotoGP so that it also becomes more attractive”
New information reveals that the following story has emerged from the international scene.
Fifteen years ago, Estrella Galicia entered MotoGP with Marc Márquez, who had only won the 125cc world champion title. Since then, both have considerably increased their achievements. So much so that, last season, Estrella Galicia signed a full contract thanks to its champions: Marc Márquez (MotoGP), Diogo Moreira (Moto2), and José Antonio Rueda (Moto3).
“We opted for motorcycling as something romantic, because my brother died in a motorcycle accident. They prohibited us all from riding a motorcycle, and I was a big biker. We decided to join the world of motorcycles to be close to them,” recalls Ignacio Rivera, executive president of the Hijos de Rivera Corporation, while attending EL ESPAÑOL at an Estrella Galicia 0.0 event.
How do you assess the arrival of Liberty Media to MotoGP?
“Well, I think Liberty Media is doing things well. Since it arrived in Formula 1, it has known how to hit the keys to attract many more fans, much younger fans, and fans from other geographies. For us, as sponsors, they are future consumers. I think they are doing things right. Now they have also just entered MotoGP, and I hope they shake up the world of motorcycling so that it also becomes more attractive.”
Ignacio Rivera and Carlos Sainz, at an Estrella Galicia 0.0 event.
How do you think Liberty Media has managed to attract younger audiences to Formula 1?
“Without a doubt, the Netflix series. Drive to Survive has set parameters for Formula 1 outside of competitiveness itself, in the hands of each driver. It talks about the history of the managers and everything that goes on there. It is a bit of a Big Brother of Formula 1 that gives you much more data than just the driver and the driving. That formula has hooked many young people.”
The followers of Formula 1 are absolutely different from those of MotoGP. Do you think that model could be transferred to MotoGP?
“They are different, but I think that is diversity. The motorcycle fan has another profile, but within the profiles they have, I think they can also be encouraged with this type of series. I imagine they are thinking of doing something with Netflix. Until now, in MotoGP, documentaries have been made about the riders, such as the one about Marc Márquez, which tells the entire personal journey to be able to ride again. Making the pilots less of a robot and more human, so that you see their real experience and all the suffering it requires, makes you see much more the difficulty of an elite athlete. The deeper you go, the more you get hooked on the sport.”
Why did Estrella Galicia decide to get involved in the world of sports sponsorship?
“As we were growing as a brand, people said that we were becoming an industrial beer; something that scares me. We have an industry that makes beer, but it is not an industrial beer. As you get bigger, you lose that concept of craft beer that is small and very local. We continue manufacturing in two factories, one 20 kilometers from the other, precisely to capture the water that the two factories supply us, and with a slow manufacturing process, very similar to what craft breweries do. What happens is that our fillers fill more bottles per hour than a craft brewery can fill. Associating yourself with a world as artisanal as that of cars and motorcycles gives me a very special bond. In the end, they are guys who make a car or a motorcycle by hand—they are craftsmen. The idea that I always wanted to convey is that we are also artisans, like in MotoGP or Formula 1. Then there is also something romantic, because my brother died in a motorcycle accident. They prohibited all of us from riding motorcycles, and I was a big biker. We decided to join the world of motorcycles to be close to them.”
And MotoGP has finally arrived in Brazil, an interesting market for you.
“We have bet a lot on Brazil, and we also have Diogo Moreira, who has grown with us. We bet on him when he was little, and last season he was Moto2 world champion, so it couldn’t have turned out better for us. The Brazilians are crazy about the motor world, and now they have a local idol in MotoGP in Diogo Moreira. For us, it is fantastic to have helped him since he arrived in Spain with his family.”
Have you considered opening a factory in Brazil?
“Yes, but it is not the time yet. Now we are developing the market, growing, and becoming happier every year. It is a highly competitive market. If we install a factory, we have to have production in accordance with that competitiveness in production. That’s why we haven’t taken the step yet, but the dream is still there, and I hope to fulfill it before I retire—and I want to retire soon.”
Can the Mercosur agreement help you?
“Mercosur is a generally good agreement for Europe. I believe that Mercosur opens up an opportunity for us in a single market that obviously helps some sectors more than others. At a time where the United States is continually playing with tariffs, having a potential culturally similar market, and a market of the number of people that Mercosur encompasses, is a great opportunity for Europe. I, of course, would not even jokingly give up an agreement of that magnitude.”
The Bigger Picture:
Understanding these events is crucial for anyone following international affairs closely.
This is part of a broader trend that has been reshaping the geopolitical landscape in recent months.
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Source: This article was originally published in another language by El Español – Home and has been translated and adapted for our global English-speaking audience. Read the original article here.