MotoGP attendance hits new heights in 2007

It was a record-breaking year in 2007 for MotoGP, and not only in terms of on-track milestones. The total number of spectators filing through the turnstiles to watch the fastest action on two wheels reached a new high this season, even discounting the inevitable increase created by the running of an extra round at Misano.

The exact figure for attendees over the course of the year was 2,322,914, an increase of 183,501 in comparison with 2006’s huge turnout. In fact, of the 18 races on the MotoGP calendar in 2007, there were 11 at which the number of spectators exceeded the previous season’s figure.

Brno in the Czech Republic was the most highly attended Grand Prix of the year, with a new record of 245,039 watching on from the grandstands over the weekend of Casey Stoner’s seventh win in MotoGP.

One reason for the specific 2007 popularity of the ever popular race was the success of 125cc World Champion Gabor Talmacsi, whose title challenge motivated a large influx of fans from nearby Hungary to make the trek to Brno.

With MotoGP continually spreading its appeal across the globe, and the inclusion of a second American round at Indianapolis next September, 2008 has the potential to improve even further on the immense marker laid down in 2007 in terms of spectators.