Giuseppe Luongo retires from Infront Moto Racing
At the Infront Moto Racing Board meeting of yesterday, Giuseppe Luongo has announced his retirement from his position as President of IMR. David Luongo has been nominated in his place as new President of Infront Moto Racing to ensure continuity and stability within MXGP. Words: MXGP
Giuseppe Luongo has been the engine and soul of modern motocross; all the innovations in terms of regulations, management, organisation, infrastructure and media coverage have been done under his management.
Luongo started out as a motocross rider, and then, still in his early days in motocross, he was the team owner of the Suzuki factory team between 1989 and 1992, recruiting the young Stefan Everts onto this team. During his 42-year Motocross World Championship promoter career, Giuseppe Luongo has organised more than 800 events amongst World Championship, European Championship and Nations events, he has been the founder and promoter of the European Championship as we know it today, he is the founder of the FIM SuperMoto World Championship, he has been the founder and promoter of the FIM Women’s World Championship and the Masters of Motocross and he has been the promoter of the Supercross World Championship. During this time he also organised several FIM World Champions’ Awards gala events.
Since a very young age he loved this sport, where he was a rider himself, and his dream was always to give more visibility to motocross and to bring it into the homes of as many families as possible around the world. Quickly he understood the potential of this sport and the necessity to bring it to TV, he realised it was crucial to create better infrastructure so that fans, and also riders, teams, media, industries and partners, could feel welcome and to offer a safer and more comfortable working environment for all involved. Through devotion and hard work, he has achieved all this.
At 65 years old, he dedicated 50 years of his life to motocross: eight years as a rider and 42 years as a promoter. While working hard to build up the value of this sport, he has had the pleasure of working near all the stars of our sport, including Eric Geboers, Roger De Coster, André Malherbe, Georges Jobé, Ricky Johnson, Johnny O’Mara, David Bailey, Pekka Vehkonen, John Van Den Berk, Ron Lechien, Jeff Ward, Joel Smets, Pit Beirer, Jeremy McGrath, Rick Carmichael, Stefan Everts, Ryan Villopoto, Ryan Dungey, Tony Cairoli, Jeffrey Herlings, Tim Gajser, Romain Febvre, Jorge Prado and many, many other great champions.
Among all the innovations he has brought to motocross, the most important were: the arrival of live TV, the creation of the pyramid for riders being formed in European Championships all the way up to MXGP at the point of the pyramid, the infrastructure in the paddock, safety to the circuits, the double-floor pit lane and Skybox, and last but certainly not least the MXGP-TV.com live streaming (starting in 2011, the FIM Motocross World Championship was the first sporting industry to have live streaming for a World Championship, and since then it has simply grown).
Giuseppe Luongo said, "It’s a day full of emotions for me because it’s what I have wanted for a few years, but at the same time I feel like I miss a part of myself and am saying goodbye to my family. On the other hand, my passion and love for motocross will remain, and for sure I will continue to follow all the championships via MXGP-TV.com, and I will always be ready with my experience to give advice whenever it is asked for. My retirement from motocross will allow me to now dedicate more time to my family and to my other passions. It is without a doubt that the continuity of Infront Moto Racing is in very good hands, and it will continue to develop. My son David and Daniele Rizzi, with the rest of the Infront Moto Racing crew, have already proven their capabilities, and also because they are young, they will bring even more new ideas and innovations with the new technology and novelties our digital world is offering, while of course maintaining the full respect of the rules and soul of our sport."
"By promoting the various motocross championships, I have learnt much more than just managing a sport, it has taught me mediation, patience, personal relations, how to deal with victory and how to deal with defeat. I often mention how indispensable it is when managing motocross, as opposed to other sports, to create the right balance between amateur and professional."
"42 years as a promoter is a very long career. I have had the opportunity to travel to many countries and meet many people all over the world, which has been enriching with different languages and cultures, and for sure there are many people to thank for helping me during this successful journey. Unfortunately, I cannot name everyone, but my sincere gratitude goes to Wolfgang Srb and Francesco Zerbi because they were the first who believed in my vision, project and ability as a promoter. Tony Skillington was an important person during our time together in motocross. I would like to thank all the riders, the industries, the teams, the manufacturers and the media because with their support, they all have helped me to see the bigger picture and helped to make the right decisions to make the motocross project successful. Of course I would like to thank the fans and all the volunteers because without them all of this would not make sense. FIM has been with me through my career, and I would like to express my appreciation to the FIM, especially their President, Jorge Viegas, for their continued partnership. I would like to thank the Infront Group and in particular it’s President, Philippe Blatter, for believing in us and in our management and for giving us the chance to enter into such an important group in sports media marketing. A special thanks goes to all the managers and staff who have accompanied me through this long and special journey and to Daniele Rizzi, who has been beside us with his devotion and hard work. In a context of work, I am grateful to my son, David, who naturally inherited the love for this sport and immediately understood the soul of motocross; thanks to his vision and his management, he will continue our dream, and now he permits me to retire with a free mind. And last but not least, my wife, Ursula, has divided every moment of our life working together over the last 24 years, helping me in everything and giving much good advice when it was necessary, but luckily for me that will continue."
Philippe Blatter, Infront’s President & CEO, added: “Giuseppe is a true pioneer and visionary of modern motocross. He has shaped MXGP from the very early days. It has become his life’s work and an incredible success story. Combining decades of vision, courage and heart, he transformed the series into a global phenomenon based on a unique heritage and a loyal community of fans, teams and riders. When Infront joined forces with Giuseppe in 2019, MXGP was already the pinnacle of off-road motorsport. Together we kept its core intact while bringing the sport to more people and more places, with even more emotion. We owe Giuseppe a huge debt of gratitude for decades of dedication and the great legacy he is leaving behind. His name will be forever linked to MXGP. Now it’s time to open a fresh chapter for MXGP with David Luongo as President of Infront Moto Racing. We have full confidence in his leadership to push MXGP further on screen, on soil, and in the hearts of fans worldwide and look forward to our continued collaboration.”
Jorge Viegas, FIM President: “On behalf of the FIM Board of Directors, the Administration, and the entire FIM Family, I extend my heartfelt gratitude to Mr Giuseppe Luongo for his unwavering dedication and remarkable contribution to the world of motocross. His passion, integrity and commitment have shaped our sport and inspired generations. As he embarks on this well-deserved retirement, I wish him health, happiness and a smooth transition towards the new chapter ahead. I would like to personally thank him for his contribution and for the lifetime of partnership, excellence and friendship.”
After 50 years in motocross, Giuseppe Luongo has decided to retire because he knows all that has been built will continue with the actual management, and MXGP will advance and grow, having a bright future.
On behalf of Infront Moto Racing and all the motocross world, we thank Giuseppe Luongo for his complete devotion to motocross, and we wish him a great future for his retirement.
Image: MXGP
