The Saudi Prince gave some indications on the partnership with the VR46 as part of a joint adventure in MotoGP for the next five years. Before a select committee, and in the form of a first intervention which would prepare for a second, larger one, Prince Abdulaziz bin Abdullah bin Saud bin AbdulAziz Al Saud gave the first figures and the outlines of the association between men of Valentino Rossi with his holding company Tanal Entertainment Sport & Media. With this strong message: the first payments of a budget worth 18 million dollars annually will arrive next week.
End of July, Tanal Entertainment Sports & Media had announced a press conference during which the holding company owned by Prince Abdulaziz bin Abdullah bin Saud bin AbdulAziz Al Saud wished to provide information on upcoming projects in motor sports. An ambition within which cooperation with VR46 in the world championship MotoGP was not the least of the symbols. Until then no clearly official communication had been made until this Thursday evening when the prince finally invited a handful of selected Italian media representatives for an online zoom meeting.
GPOne.com was there and was able to report that the details of the agreement will be published during an official press conference of the government of Saudi Arabia next week. Wednesday was designated as the deadline. But we already know much more. First, Prince Abdulaziz bin Abdullah bin Saud bin AbdulAziz Al Saud did not want to comment on the conflicting information regarding Aramco, but he wanted to reassure the partnership with VR46 about which the media were beginning to doubt, even suggesting the idea of a masquerade : " the contract has already been signed and we will provide the full amount in the coming week » affirmed the Prince.
We are talking about approximately $18 million per year, which should be dedicated to the MotoGP world championship alone. But this is only part of an even larger project and a total investment of around a billion dollarss. A motorsport and VR46 theme park is planned in Saudi Arabia, and car and motorcycle production plants are also to be built. A Formula 1 team is also on the wish list.
The Saudi Prince: “ we also want a motorcycle Grand Prix in Saudi Arabia«
« We are pursuing many different projects, and on some Valentino Rossi will also be involved. We also want a motorcycle Grand Prix in Saudi Arabia. We are still talking about it at the Ministry of Sports, but it will happen soon “, declared the prince quoted by GPOne.com.
The Prince also recognized problems in communication, but he also partly explained the reasons: “ there is an agreement with Valentino Rossi and VR46, but it was announced too early and it created problems. According to our laws, these projects must first be announced in our country, then internationally. Details remain to be defined with the four ministries concerned: Sport, Finance, International Finance and Media ».
This season, the drivers Sky VR46 are already promoting the project Saudi Vision 2030 for the government of Saudi Arabia, a strategic, forward-looking and highly technological program designed to reduce the dependence of the Saudis on the economic model linked to oil production. This objective must be achieved by diversifying the economy and increasing the development of sectors such as health, education, infrastructure, leisure and tourism. Associated with this are the brands “KSA New Cities” and “Maic Technologies”, whose logos are affixed to the motorcycles of Marini, Bezzecchi et Drive.
« I would have liked Valentino to continue racing, but he will always be able to participate in other car races, both in Europe and in Saudi Arabia: he is a very important figure for us » concluded the Prince who also added: “ next week we will start paying. We are planning an amusement park in Saudi Arabia dedicated to motors and Valentino Rossi, for an investment of 300 million. I will be able to reveal all the details in a week, maximum 10 days ". So to be continued.
