MotoGP, IRTA (5/7): the first steps... until the arrival of Dorna

During this series of articles, of which we do not yet know the exact number, we will try to retrace what led to the creation of the IRTA (International Racing Team Association), one of the four entities which today manage MotoGP with Dorna Sports, the FIM and the MSMA.

The official recognition of the IRTA (International Road Racing Teams Association) by the FIM therefore took place at the end of 86, during the annual congress of the governing body which took place in Palermo, headed by Michel Métraux, the boss of Team La Parisienne Elf, and Serge Rosset, the boss of the ROC Elf team as treasurer. The two were complementary, Michel the pragmatic, administrative, legal and calm Swiss businessman, Serge the man of new ideas, the bulldozer that no fight can frighten.

Michel Métraux, Serge Rosset

The former 350cc and 750cc rider Mike Trimby was its secretary, even if he was not involved at all during the constitutive meeting which took place in Monza in May 1986 during the Grand Prix of Nations. It must be said that in the meantime his international experience in logistics had been taken into account (various organizations in Hong Kong, Macao, Daytona) as well as the fact that they contractually took care of certain pilots and that it was he who wrote the pilots' representative reports, even before the creation of the IRTA. In the “civilian” world, the man was marketing director of Smith & Nephew, a manufacturer of Elastoplast, and had created the Racing and Sporting Show in London at the sumptuous Alexandra Palace.

When it was created, the IRTA was viewed with suspicion not only by the FIM but also by all private drivers, who were very reluctant to the idea of an association of teams rather than drivers. But it must be admitted that, despite a few attempts, the individualism of the latter had never made it possible to create unity...

At this time, the FIM had to face several problems, just with regard to the Grands Prix. The birth of the IRTA, which is necessarily a certain opposition force, that of the IRRPA (journalists' association), that of the nascent ARMCO (Association of Racing Motorcycle Constructors) temporarily postponed but returned under the name of ARRC (Association of road race competitors), that of the ROPA (Association of promoters and organizers of road racing events) which is still pushing at the door of the FIM despite the latter's opposition since 1982 and, above all, the issue of rights TV…

In this regard, parallel to its legal imbroglio with the Italian company OPIT supposed to take charge of this subject but particularly inactive, the FIM moved in 1985 towards a centralization of the work and the various proposals. The following year first saw the FIM seek to develop its TV rights policy with an existing group of organizers and promoters, provided they could create a formal organization which would fulfill the conditions for FIM membership. as an associate member. The ROPA (Association of Road Race Organizers and Promoters) then seems the obvious contact... and it actually sees its membership as an associate member accepted, at the same time as that of the IRTA.

At the end of 86, things seem quite clear! They will soon get complicated...

At the beginning of 87, a GP TV rights management committee composed of representatives of the FIM, the ROPA and the AICP (Circuit Associations) was first considered but was quickly rendered obsolete by a proposal from a certain Bernie Ecclestone who says he is ready to sign a five-year contract with the FIM, with the same advantages as for the FIA (Concorde agreements) for Formula 1. He intends not only to be able to market the TV rights to the Grands Prix, but also to control the marketing, the calendar and the circuits... in short, to get his hands on the motorcycle Grands Prix as he had done successfully in Formula 1.

Michael Schumacher and Bernie Ecclestone, Magny-Cours 1991

A few months later, in Geneva in August, he was present at the FIM board of directors to explain that no one currently knows the value of the TV rights held by the FIM and that he had not requested the control of the calendar, but only wished “collaborate with the FIM to establish dates and circuits”.

His pleading is however joined by those, jointly, of gentlemen Michel Metraux (President of IRTA and representative of the sponsor ELF) and François Benveniste (Marketing Director Philip Morris) who explain that the main sponsors demand coordinated and professional management of TV rights. Team operating costs become a huge investment and sponsors must justify these amounts with regular television broadcasts. They declare themselves ready to form together a Swiss commercial company in charge of financing the management of FIM TV rights with a group of professionals. The company would not take charge of advertising which would remain the responsibility of the organizers. In exchange for the transfer of these rights, the FIM would receive an annual subscription and would have a seat on the company's board of directors.

In October, the FIM decided to appoint an expert to “preserve total independence from the various GP stakeholders. This person would be responsible for coordinating the sale of GP television rights and managing their commercial aspects as well as those of films and videos.
But faced with numerous criticisms concerning the management of TV rights from certain national federations, the president Schmit proposes to convene a meeting with all GP organizing federations before December.

Considered with reluctance for at least two years, ROPA, represented by Maurizio Flammini, and IRTA, represented by Michel Métraux, are now good students, after good work was done in 1987: passes and logistics for overseas travel to the credit of IRTA, presentation of TV rights and program covering various aspects for the ROPA.

Several areas can still be greatly improved and standardized (technical checks, medical checks, test and race times, paddock, calendar development, engine starts, etc.) but things are moving in the right direction.

So it is not really surprising that during a session on Grand Prix TV rights held on December 14 in Geneva, IRTA and ROPA jointly offer a common solution via a company called MotoMedia.

Michel Metraux (IRTA): “The MotoMedia company is an association of companies resulting from an agreement that IRTA and ROPA concluded for the joint management of TV rights for Grands Prix. MotoMedia is a Swiss commercial company with which the FIM would sign a concession contract for TV rights. MotoMedia would mandate one or more specialized agencies with the aim of guaranteeing TV coverage of each Grand Prix and the best possible marketing offers for the broadcast. As for the management of MotoMedia, it would be entrusted to a management committee made up of representatives designated by the IRTA, the ROPA, the FIM and the sponsors, according to a formula to be discussed. MotoMedia would be financed by sponsors. The operating costs would be very high, as the revenue would likely be less than the expenses of producing the images.”

Michel Metraux has clearly proven convincing since further negotiations with MotoMedia are planned for the beginning of 1988, despite many points still pending: constitution and representation of ROPA, certain national federations still opposed to the compulsory provision of the TV signal , etc.

From February 25 to March 1 in Geneva, the FIM meets and addresses, among other things, the subject of the contract with MotoMedia. The council underlines the need to separate TV rights from video rights, to guarantee the cancellation of the contract with immediate effect and to ensure the automatic return of rights to the FIM in the event of bankruptcy, cessation or transfer of the company .

For 1988, IRTA, with the agreement of ROPA, was responsible for printing and distributing the permanent passes. Things seem to be working well between the different parties in Grands Prix, but the following paragraph from the same CCR report (proposals to the management council) gives food for thought: “The management of the Grand Prix World Championship should be centralized at the FIM secretariat in Geneva and certain responsibilities which are currently in the hands of the organizers, ROPA and IRTA, should be limited. Organizers' registration fees should be increased to fund overseas travel and a Grand Prix driver's license should be created at a much higher price than currently in place. The FIM secretariat would distribute permanent passes to riders holding a Grand Prix license. A person must be designated to distribute these passes and make changes during Grands Prix, harmonize the rules of the "GP show" and organize GP travel outside Europe.

As we can see, there is still political opposition to the IRTA and the ROPA within the FIM, despite significant work by the IRTA which, for example, hires Jacques Hutteau to professionally organize a paddock which, until now, offered all the appearances of an incredible shambles...

Jacques Hutteau: “In 1987, after the San Marino Grand Prix in Misano, we had to go to Jarama in Spain, for the Portuguese Grand Prix. On the road, I stop at a huge campsite in the south of France and the boss places me by chance right next to Mike Trimby's big American camper van. Of course, we knew each other, but nothing more. As I park my trailer, he taps on it and jokes: “No, no!” This is reserved for IRTA! ". Then he invites me for a drink and the discussion obviously focuses on the benefits supposedly provided by IRTA. At first, I was a little reluctant but he explained to me that everyone will benefit, private pilots included. Then he told me that he was looking for someone who could be responsible for organizing the paddock in 1988. I didn't immediately jump at the chance because I absolutely wanted to finish the last Grand Prix of the season, but deep down I knew it would be the last. And indeed, after a difficult race in Jarama due to electrical problems, I went to see him to express my interest. During the winter, we agreed and started working. My role was to start preparing the arrival of those who were members of the IRTA to put them in the best conditions, but also not to put my old friends, not yet members of the IRTA, in privileged places. All this, obviously, to encourage them to join IRTA. I must admit that I wasn't feeling very well in my head for a while, especially since some people were really angry with me. So I worked a lot to never put anyone in difficult conditions and to organize the paddock as best as possible. Sometimes it was very difficult, like at Imola which had a very small paddock and where the circuit director wanted to put the 500cc in the boxes, the 250cc in the paddock behind, the 125cc in the orchard further away and the hospitality of the 'other side of the track, on the main square. Obviously, I didn't agree and I worked all day before sending a fax in the evening to Mike Trimby to present my proposal to remove all motorhomes and caravans from the paddock and place them in the orchard, and put the 125cc on the asphalt of the paddock, with all the other competitors. This is where we started to separate the living areas and working areas of the paddock. Little by little, slowly, in maybe two years, everyone joined IRTA and gained a lot...".

Site Pons et Steve Webster, the drivers' representatives to the Road Racing Commission, not only raise safety issues but also ask for the right to vote in said commission. In vain…

Awards ceremony 1989 Maastricht NED (Back from left: Hans Nielsen DEN Speedway, Sito Pons SPA GP250, Jordi Tarrès SPA Trial, Alex Criville SPA GP125, Tony Hewitt & Steve Webster GBR GPSidecar, (Forward from from left) Manuel Herreros SPA GP80, Carl Fogarty TTF-1, Christoph & QAndreas Hüsser SUI MXSidecar © FIM

Three sessions of the executive committee are held between the meetings in Geneva and the annual congress. Discussions are progressing between the various protagonists of MotoMedia and the contract between MotoMedia and the FIM was finally signed on June 17.

The FIM council denies allegations that it did not follow up on proposals from Bernie Ecclestone : in fact, despite several requests, he never sent a precise proposal...

During the session of August 29, Michel Metraux, the president of the IRTA, recalls that the main objective is to find the best way to maximize the media coverage of the Grands Prix and that for this it was necessary to find a real television specialist, even if he had to be … Bernie Ecclestone ! If this were the case, a three-year contract should be signed with him.

In November, an agreement was actually reached between the company MotoMedia (IRTA+ ROPA) and the ISC of Bernie Ecclestone. The television signal would be provided by the national federations under specific technical conditions. ISC could take over the production of the signal with the prior approval and agreement of the national federation concerned.

At the beginning of 1989, TV rights were still the subject of numerous conflicts within the FIM, starting with those concerning the Superbike which were believed to have been finalized by entrusting them to the company "Sports Marketing Company" (SMC), based in New Zealand. Unfortunately, the latter did not bring the promised money and rumors circulated according to which SMC had already tried twice to sell the FIM contract...

A session of the FIM board of directors is being held on May 30 in Geneva to review a Grand Prix season that is not going perfectly.

IRTA is represented by Michel Métraux (president of IRTA), Mike Trimby (general secretary of IRTA) and Giacomo Agostini (vice-president of IRTA). Michel Métraux lists a series of problems that occurred during the Italian GP in Misano where tickets for the riders' paddock were put on sale. During the night from Saturday to Sunday, the paddock was not guarded and several teams had equipment stolen. An accumulation of various incidents, notably the fact that the track was inspected without consulting the riders, resulted, with the rain and the slippery track, in the 500cc riders refusing to start. At the United States GP, according to Michel Métraux, the organization was mediocre and there was not enough time. At the German GP in Hockenheim, as soon as the teams arrived, the organizers sought to confront the IRTA and refused to give passes to professional journalists. Tickets for the riders' paddock were sold, the conditions of the FIM / MotoMedia contract were not respected since the local television station had not received any instructions. An arrangement was reached on Saturday morning for the TV signal and MotoMedia was forced to pay DM50.

Finally, much more serious, during an accident, which occurred during the 250cc race, which cost the life of the unfortunate Venezuelan driver Ivan Palazzese and seriously injured Bruno Bonhuil et Fabio Barchitta, the race director was more than late in showing the red flag. The panicked track marshals had not shown the correct flags either, and only the presence of mind of Sito Pons, who managed to stop the peloton as it returned after a complete tour to the scene of the accident, which was completely unclear, made it possible to avoid a greater massacre.

Photo credit: Manfred Mothes

In conclusion, the IRTA urgently demanded more professionalism from the FIM in its management of Grands Prix (for example, the same starter for all GPs), improved travel conditions outside Europe, only two days testing (Friday and Saturday) to reduce costs, and a more realistic schedule to allow riders and team personnel more recovery time.

The Maastricht congress which was held from October 21 to 28, 1989 saw the only candidate, Jose Vaessen, to be elected at the head of the FIM.

The IRTA is still campaigning for the appointment of a single starter for all Grands Prix, since 1990. This would improve the image and security of the sport and would ensure that what happened during the Belgian GP (three departures) and in Germany no longer occurs. The IRTA proposes to create a "calendar commission" composed of members of the CCR, representatives of MotoMedia, the teams and the riders, so that all parties concerned can collaborate, with the understanding that the final decision on the calendar would be made by the CCR.

Following the errors of officials during the accident which cost the life of the Venezuelan pilot Ivan Palazzese, a working group composed of various members of the CCR and the pilots' representative, Site Pons, is formed to study problems related to signals and security measures. As the flags were not always displayed correctly, an effort had to be made to train the commissioners and there is also talk of preparing video tapes. Modifications are ratified in terms of stopping the race and starting again (decision taken by the race director). A race could only be stopped once due to weather conditions.
The president of the commission also indicates that the question of permanent passes was not satisfactory and should be taken care of by the FIM “because the current situation is to the detriment of the organizers.”

Despite the FIM's past distrust of the IRTA, the year 1990 begins with an agreement for a unique transponder timing system. President Vaessen also indicates that the last general assembly of the IRTA had brought changes in its relations with the FIM. An executive council was set up, chaired by Paul Butler (although initially an opponent of IRTA). According to the FIM, the atmosphere is significantly more relaxed and the FIM pass system has been implemented and accepted in a climate of collaboration.

This beginning of improvement in relations between the FIM and the IRTA is however attacked by Honda which clearly expresses, through the voices of gentlemen Aika, Ikenoya, Matsuda, Oguma and Tsunnoda, that they preferred to deal directly with the FIM and not through third parties, that is to say their clients, including the IRTA which they consider to want to take control of the Grands Prix, in particular in wanting to create a technical commission of manufacturers. Yamaha takes exactly the same position, thus clearly indicating to IRTA not to get involved in technical questions, at the time the preserve of Japanese manufacturers.

Under the instigation of Dr. Claudio Costa, the first mobile clinic was inaugurated with the name IRTA Medical Division.

In October, at Monza, the president of the FIM announced that he had finally sent a letter to the seven companies which had made offers for the TV rights to the Grands Prix, giving them ten days to make a second offer of more than 20 million dollars.

Within the allotted time, the FIM congress meeting in Budapest declared itself opposed to the signing of a contract with Bernie Ecclestone who already held the F1 rights. The FIM wanted a company that could “develop our sport independently”. This first proposal was therefore eliminated and, of the five remaining, the highest (30 million USD) was achieved by the Spanish company “Promoción del Deporte” linked to the Dorna group, itself controlled by the Spanish bank Banesto.

After a further delay and no higher offer (*), the FIM therefore decided on October 22 to continue negotiations with “Promoción del Deporte”, with 66 votes for, 17 against and 7 abstentions, to finalize a contract covering TV rights and race marketing from 1993 to 1997.

(*) In fact, the Italian company Flammini Racing, which held the rights to the Superbike world championship had offered a million more, but this offer was rejected by the president of the FIM, Jose Vaessen.

In January 91, the draft contract with “ Dorna Sports Promotion » is widely discussed. The company offers a $2 million guarantee, more than $30 million payable by June 1991, XNUMX, to be deducted from the first three-part payment and added to the guarantee. The contract must be signed in February.
A letter from ROPA demanding a 50% share of the revenues from this contract is not considered acceptable and it is repeated that “in the event of distribution of income, they would be paid to the national federations”.

The contract with Dorna Promoción del Deporte was signed on February 26, 191 in Madrid. ROPA and IRTA were consulted before signing.

You might think things have finally stabilized, but it's quite the opposite!

To be continued…

IRTA cover photo, left to right top: Geoff Dixon, Neil Bird, Jacques Hutteau, Mike Trimby, Steve Skinner, Paul Butler.
From left to right bottom: Irene Trimby, Samantha Davies, Linda Davies.