“The last thing we need are the television images with the empty stands”Carmelo thundered Ezpeleta, managing director Dorna, to the organizers of Mugello, guilty of not being able to convey the Italian spectators to their circuit. What was once a real event for Italian motorcycling, in 2022 was far from being sold out. And the low public figures could push Dorna to re-evaluate the future in the calendar of the Tuscan stage, despite an existing contract valid until the end of 2026, as suggested by the Germans of Speedweek. Is the absence of Valentino Rossi enough to explain this apparent disaffection of Italian fans? Also, but not only. The cost of tickets clearly influenced the influx: the price for a seat on the lawn for Sunday alone was set at 90 euros (80 for women, 70 for the 14-18 age group), the Sunday grandstand ranged from 170 to 310 euro, the lawn pass for the three days amounted to 150 euro, that for the grandstand started from 220 euro, while the camping ticket for the camper was 100 euro.
All this resulted in 10,815 spectators on Fridays, 19,602 on Saturdays and 43,661 on Sundays, according to official data, for a total of 74,078 admissions in the three days. A figure light years away from the record set in 2017, when a total of 164,418 was reached, or even just compared to the last pre-pandemic year, 2019 with 139,329 spectators (83,761 only on Sundays). A drop of almost 50% compared to the last GP before Covid is a figure that requires reflection, both for the organizers of the event and for those of the World Championship, returning from a triumphal success with the public at Le Mans (225 thousand total , of which 110 thousand only on Sundays).
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