Coming to America: MotoGP eyes US boom as COTA invests in entertainment

What towered over the Circuit of the Americas last weekend? Was it Aprilia’s increasing dark shadow on the 2026 season? The metallic aerial weave of rollercoasters being built for the new theme park complex set to open this year? Or the mammoth star-spangled banner that rippled across the exterior of Turn 1 and the multi-million-dollar construction for what will be the luxury clubhouse ‘The Circuit’? For an already epic sprawl that allegedly covers nearly 1500 acres, COTA is flexing its muscles and status as one of just five venues to currently host both F1 and MotoGP. In each series it carries distinction: the United States F1 GP was recognised as one of the best-attended rounds from 24 in 2025 while it has been the sole home of MotoGP in the US since 2013.

On Friday in Texas we cooked, on Saturday we shivered and Sunday was balmy, but a tangible feature of the event (the third round of the season) was the Liberty Media factor. Post pandemic, the circuit provided the first visual signs of the F1 American roar as crowds nearly quadrupled from its first GP in 2012, with the surge mostly attributed to Netflix exposure. While for MotoGP it has helped reinforce Marc Márquez’s legend thanks to six victories in a row and is one of the most spectacular and challenging technical tests of the season for the riders.

The 2026 US GP was the first with Liberty’s hands firmly on the MotoGP tiller. COTA fell under the microscope for what MotoGP is doing and where it can change last weekend. Although the crowd figures remain mysteriously obscured for grands prix in both series there was a feeling of a healthy presence with anecdotal accounts of more Harley Davidson riders entering the site to see the inauguration of the Baggers World Cup, and a busy paddock where American fans seemed more feverish than ever to catch a glimpse or a selfie with the riders.

“Every year this place gets more and more full. It’s cool to see the crowd slowly moving its way up to Turn 1 and the grass bank up there. It’s impressive,” said Prima Pramac Yamaha’s Jack Miller. “COTA itself is extremely proactive as a racing circuit in terms of updating facilities and changing bits of asphalt. Can’t complain at all.”

After a sticky formation at the beginning of the last century with three separate proprietors, COTA has been under the auspices of CEO Bobby Epstein for the duration of MotoGP’s tenure and the 61-year-old Austin-resident is pursuing more popularity for the bikes while also ploughing ahead with COTA’s own multi-faceted business model, based on maximising the entertainment possibilities of the vast location with land to spare. The venue wants to set a reference when it comes to the overall fan ‘experience’.

“This place will be so different in three-five years compared it what it is today, and I know it is already different to what it was five years ago,” the Texan told us in an exclusive interview on Saturday. “My involvement was always outside of the track design. There was little value we could add there. We needed to focus on the guests and what kind of programme we could put together. The spaces that were originally designated by the architects for parking lots, we turned them into programming areas and made them come to life, like the Grand Plaza where the fan exhibit area is. It’s the heartbeat of the track but where you can have large, festival or fair-like activities. It’s very intentional and then the way the hills are built up around the track means that no matter where you sit with a GA [General Admission] ticket you’ll be able to see a fair amount of racing. It’s a great benefit.”

COTA is not unique in its ‘360’ perspective. A source of inspiration came through one of the few F1 Grands Prix that draws even more than the 400,000+ public that are estimated to travel to Texas each year. “We looked at Australia, in Melbourne. That’s where we borrowed the ‘villages’ idea from for F1 and hopefully we can put it into MotoGP as it grows. In F1 we have a Bavarian area by a turn and then you can meet in another place and it’s themed Mexican and with a Cantina and then another one that’s Texas BBQ. You can create these ‘destinations’. I experienced that walking around in Melbourne. Displays of classic vehicles and so on. We laid it out so people could wander.”

COTA had already embarked on a wider entertainment arc before the F1 explosion enabled – or obliged – it to think of even more assets around the events. “Taylor Swift was performing here the year before Liberty came in,” he revealed. “So, we had a commitment to all-round entertainment even before then. Liberty added to it, and then had the momentum of the Netflix show, so the number of people that became aware of the sport piled onto what was already a success.”

Epstein’s connections to both F1 and MotoGP means he is well placed to see how Liberty Media could influence the bikes in their freshest venture. We asked him what the American conglomerate does well. “A couple of things,” he stated. “One of which is that they are a great partner in terms of not looking at the one-year or two-year outcome. They are really looking at the long-term and thinking long-term growth, and that mindset allows them to invest in the sport, rather than just take out of it. I think you can wind-up with owners with various mindsets…but fortunately Liberty has a long-term view and they are willing to invest for success that is not measured by quarterly results right now. There will be a point where they say: ‘we did invest and we did put these ideas in place and we want to harvest those rewards…’ but, from an investment standpoint, they are a terrific partner to have.”

“What will come in the next three years: I think it will be transformative”

“When we see the commitment Liberty Media has made to MotoGP and building the sport, and some of the ideas being thrown around the room, it’s exciting and I almost wish they were happening this year. What will come in the next three years: I think it will be transformative,” he added, without going any further.

The union of Grand Prix event promoters and the series promoters can have many layers. The strength of the bond can depend on history, personal relationships (one reason why the presence of both Carmelo and Carlos Ezpeleta, CEO and CSO respectively, is still fundamental to the majority of the MotoGP calendar), necessity and political support from central government and local councils.

The division of responsibilities to create a successful grand prix can sometimes be murky. Ticket sales is only one revenue bucket, and the involvement of backers and sponsors also plays a part (as well as any additional promotion initiatives by these third parties).