Dan Rossomondo To Leave Dorna: Where Next For MotoGP?

Dan Rossomondo, MotoGP’s Chief Commercial Officer, is to leave Dorna in January. The announcement comes as a major surprise, as Rossomondo was headhunted by Dorna nearly four years ago to bring Dorna’s commercial approach into the 21st Century.

In a press release issued by Dorna, Rossomondo implies that one of the main reasons for leaving is a desire to spend more time in the US with his family. That is understandable, given the huge cultural difference between the US and Spain, even though both New York and Madrid are massive metropolitan centers.

Reading between the lines, it looks like Rossomondo left, rather than Dorna asking him to leave. The fact that there is no replacement is a sign that this came as a surprise to Dorna, and now they have to find a successor.

Rossomondo achieved a lot in his three years in the job. The American took an organization that was primarily focused on selling TV broadcasting rights and transformed it into one attempting to promote and sell the sport as a whole. He was instrumental in setting up a separate and significant marketing department inside Dorna, something that was previously always regarded as something of an afterthought. He helped push through a new brand identity, which has helped differentiate the sport and make it easier for newcomers to navigate.