Dorna Sports, the long-term promoter of motorcycle racing’s elite MotoGP and its sub-categories, has announced the indefinite suspension of the all-electric MotoE series following its current 2025 campaign.
MotoE was launched in 2019 as a supplementary series to MotoGP with a focus on environmentally sustainable racing. However, Dorna has now stated that since then, advancements in electric motorcycle technology have “not developed as expected”, specifically regarding the performance of the bikes in the (Ducati-supplied) series compared even to the likes of Moto2 or Moto3.
This has come in tandem with the uptake of non-fossil fuels in MotoGP (currently 40% non-fossil minimum, but from 2027 the series will utilize 100% non-fossil fuels), meaning that the sustainable focus is perhaps more relevant in Dorna’s most prominent category.
The lack of interest from fans in the MotoE series may also have played a part in its discontinuation.
Speaking on the announcement, International Motorcycle Federation (FIM) president Jorge Viegas commented: “In fact, and despite all the best efforts to promote this innovative category together with Dorna, the truth is that we haven’t reached our objectives, nor has the industry associated with performance electric bikes.”
Despite the news, Dorna has said that it will continue to assess the motorcycle industry going forward, and could resurrect MotoE in the future, should the “relevance of electric motorcycles – or any other alternative sustainable technology – increase in the future.”
It is yet to be known what this means for MotoE’s sponsors going forward, which include Ducati, tire supplier Michelin, and other commercial partners such as DHL, which agreed a multi-year agreement to cover the series in 2024 that included branding presence and the transport of bikes and equipment.
Two races remain on the 2025 MotoE calendar - the September 13 Grand Prix of San Marino and the Rimini Riviera, which is title sponsored by energy drink giant Red Bull, and the November 8 Grand Prix of Portugal, which is title sponsored by Qatar.
Other prominent race title sponsors for the soon-to-be defunct series include Michelin (France, Hungary), automotive lubricant manufacturer Motul (Netherlands), sports betting brand Bwin (Austria), and energy drink Monster (Catalonia).
Earlier in 2025, Dorna was acquired by Liberty Media, the heavyweight that also owned motor racing’s Formula One.
Before that, in late 2024, Dorna Sports chief commercial officer Dan Rossomondo spoke to Sportcal (GlobalData Sport) about the series’ commercial strategy.
At the time, Rossomondo commented on the Liberty Media acquisition, stressing that it will be “business as usual."
He said: “[Dorna] is going to be run from Spain as an independent company. That's the plan, that's what's going to happen. Which is just outstanding. I do know that they're very optimistic about the sport, very bullish on the growth of it.
“Some of the intellectual might that they can bring to our sport, some of the experiences they can bring, learnings that they can bring from [motor racing's] Formula 1, but also from a lot of other businesses, they have to be hugely helpful to us.
“They've seen the same thing that I've seen in terms of the potential, in terms of the unique intellectual property, the global fan base. They're going to really be a catalyst to help us take advantage of the real strengths of the sport.”
Looking forward, Dorna Sports revealed that it is targeting revenue of €520 million in the 2025 fiscal year, owing to an expanded 22-race MotoGP calendar, one that, halfway through, has not yet had any races cancelled.
Dorna’s mandate to promote MotoGP, MotoE, the Superbike World Championship, the JuniorGP World Championship, and the Women’s Circuit Racing World Championship, all sanctioned by the FIM, stretches to 2060 through an extremely lengthy tie-up announced in Septemver 2024.
