MotoGP is the latest sport to get in on the GoPro action. Dorna Sports, the commercial holder of the FIM MotoGP World Championship, and GoPro entered into a deal that makes GoPro the official wearable camera for the motorsport tournaments. This includes a title sponsorship of the GoPro Motorrad Grand Prix of Deutschland (Germany).
Riders will wear GoPro cameras to capture race circuits, such as behind-the-scenes vignettes, race perspectives, and other action. Before each race, a GoPro camera will be used to produce a “media lap” of the course, a preview of the track from the point-of-view of a BMW safety bike (see video below).
It’s sort of similar to the decision the Union Cycliste Internationale, the governing body of competitive cycling, made last year, which allowed the use of GoPros on riders during the Tour de France, although MotoGP races obviously up the ante on the action as riders travel at higher speeds and shred a lot more dirt.
The MotoGP partnership is just the latest for GoPro, which is pushing more and more into professional sports broadcasting. Players in the NHL began filming their exploits on the rink – in high definition – after the NHL and GoPro announced its partnership in January 2015.
The partnership between GoPro and MotoGP will run for five years. “Racing has always been a part of GoPro’s heritage and it continues to influence our product design,” says Nick Woodman, GoPro’s CEO and founder, in a release. “We hope to enhance the way race fans watch this premier series and look forward to MotoGP serving as an exciting platform for innovation.”
