The Grand Prix paddock is sticking together in a period that a merciless coronavirus likes to remind it is economically deadly. Each message therefore has its importance and weighs on the minds as well as on the structure. The promoter Dorna is more than aware of this and is fighting not to give up the slightest inch of ground to this pandemic which is pushing it to the ropes. His boss Carmelo Ezpeleta holds the bar and has made a tuning to those who doubt his determination to have races in 2020. The teams are listening to him. Ruben Xaus takes stock of the progress for Avintia Ducati, the team which has recruited a certain Johann Zarco for this season…
Reuben Xaus is the sports director of a team Avintia who can be considered the least posh and least wealthy on the MotoGP grid. This year 2020 was to be a historic milestone with a technical agreement signed with Ducati revised upwards and the presence in its box of Johann zarco, supported in part by the Borgo Panigale factory. An investment which, unfortunately, was thwarted by the Covid-19 that we know about.
In fact for Avintia, not to run is to die… But fortunately, infusions are there to maintain vital functions… “ We spoke with Dorna and IRTA, because there are sponsors and contracts to respect. If the championship does not start, you cannot ask the sponsors to pay. This is a problem especially for private teams, and we are the weakest " begin Reuben Xaus.
« Keep in mind that the budget of the Avintia team is the lowest in the World Championship, and it is around 11,5-12 million euros. 65-70% of resources go directly to motorcycle leasing. The later the championship starts, the later you see the bikes on television. When sponsors see the bike on TV, they are happy to pay you. So if they don't pay, we're missing 15% of the budget, around 2 million. You only survive if you have extra budget » explains the former Ducati rider in WSBK
« Sponsors start paying at the end of February, March, few sponsors anticipate. In our case, some sponsors paid in advance, it's our luck, we are happy. But it's not a monstrous figure, it preserved us for 2-3 months, we are today in the red zone like the other private teams. We are missing a budget of 10 to 15% for the rental of trucks, offices, staff, mechanics and supplies. »
And this is where the action of Dorna is more than beneficial: “ life is hard but you must not give up, Dorna lends a helping hand to all private teams and this will allow us to pay the fixed costs, not the motorcycles, even if the manufacturers understood that we could not pay a lease for motorcycles that did not take the track ". Because Ducati is also listening: “ we talk to Ducati 2-3 times a week. We will agree with Ducati on the cost, which will depend on the duration of the World Championship, the use of engines, materials, logistics. »
Since we are talking about constructor, Reuben Xaus favorably assesses the principle of freezing developments until the horizon 2022 : " this would mean that all teams, even manufacturers, could catch their breath economically. Even Ducati would have an advantage not to invest in development, because you don't know if the sponsor money will come. I think this technical break would give everyone some breathing room. »
Otherwise, for what remains of this year, the Spanish positive: “ if we start in August, we will do 4 months of competitions, 3 competitions per month, and I would be more than happy with that. This means 12-14 competitions. » Come on, we’re not giving up!
