The RNF MotoGP satellite team passes into the hands of Ovidiu Toma, CEO of CryptoDATA, who also conquers the board of directors.
About Luigi Ciamburro de Motoracing
From the next MotoGP season, the team Razlan Razali changes face… and owner. From the start of the 2022 championship, rumors were not encouraging about the former main sponsor, who ultimately found himself in difficult financial conditions due to the war in Ukraine. At that time, WithU decided to terminate the contract with satellite team Yamaha, making way for new investor CryptoDATA.
The Romanian developer of cybersecurity hardware and software solutions first appeared in MotoGP as the main sponsor of the 2022 Austrian GP. Personal sponsor of George Martin, they have vast plans for the RNF team of which they have become the majority shareholder. Passed to Aprilia since the Valencia test, the Malaysian manager Razali will play the role of team principal with the aim of aiming for the podium within two or three years. The agreement with RNF extends until 2026.
But the CEO Ovidiu Toma and its global strategy expert Bogdan Maruntis ensure that the partnership will continue even beyond this date. Razlan can count on a wealth of experience in the premier category acquired from 2019 to today, with six GP victories with Fabio Quartararo et Franco Morbidelli. In 2021 he also led the 'MotoGP Legend' Valentino Rossi, but with poor results. Same results with Andrea Dovizioso, who abandoned the race without waiting for the end of the championship.
« We are managers, shareholders and directors of RNF, it is very important to be the ones who make the decisions«
In three years, Razlan Razali found himself rebuilding the team twice, first after the Petronas brand farewell, and then after the WithU farewell. “ We lost two main sponsors in 13 months, but with the support of Dorna's CEO, Carmelo Ezpeleta, who designed this deal with CryptoDATA, the stars shine again for us.“. A financial burden that can be estimated at more than 11 million euros per season, widely covered by Dorna, but in this, as in other sports, sponsor coverage becomes fundamental. Razali and WithU have also reached a final agreement for an early divorce, as evidenced by the appearance of the CryptoDATA logo on the motorcycles of Cal Crutchlow et Darryn binder during the last weekend of the MotoGP season in Valencia. Now is the time to turn the page and look to the future. Ovidiu Toma will be one of the new figures in the paddock in the years to come, barring any twists and turns.
Toma and Maruntis have experience in motorsports, the first with rally cars, the second with motorcycles and fighter jets. After the cybersecurity company was an official premium partner for the last three races of the season, CryptoDATA wanted to invest in a long-term MotoGP team and made a significant investment to acquire a majority stake of 50 million euros over four years.
In an interview with 'Mediaflux.ro', the CEO Ovidiu Toma lets some indiscretions filter through. “ We cannot disclose the price, but the investment is around 50 euros for 000 years. A huge effort that we have made to make our products, our services and our know-how known throughout the world. The transaction was not made in cryptocurrency. We don't make cryptocurrencies, we make cryptography, so secure communications equipment using blockchain technology and more ».
Razali will continue to play a central role from a technical and sporting point of view. But the administrative management of the RNF team passes into the hands of the new investors. “ The opportunity arose to be able to purchase shares, the majority stake, which represents well over 50% of the team. We are also managers, shareholders and directors of the team. It's very important to be the ones who make the decisions », concluded Ovidiu Toma. “ We also have the board of directors ».
