SIC To Review MotoGP Ticket Prices, Track Rental Charges To Boost Revenue -- CEO

By Siti Radziah Hamzah

SEPANG, Oct 28 (Bernama) -- Sepang International Circuit (SIC) is eyeing a review of MotoGP ticket prices and track rental charges to boost revenue, cover rising operating costs and help fund its share of the championship’s hosting rights fees.

SIC chief executive officer Azhan Shafriman Hanif said the circuit would also develop additional income sources amid rising operating costs.

“Hopefully, we will review the prices and ensure that any increase does not burden fans too much. But we need to review prices because our costs have increased.

“The last price review, I think, was back in 2022, after COVID. We also need to look at where else around SIC we can generate revenue to cover the additional rights fees that we will pay in the future,” he told Bernama in an interview here today.

The MotoGP at SIC has been a fixture on the calendar since 1999, except for its cancellations in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In July, the Ministry of Youth and Sports announced a five-year extension for Malaysia to host MotoGP from 2027 to 2031, involving estimated total financing of RM457 million.

Under a progressive cost-sharing arrangement, SIC will bear 10 per cent of annual hosting and organising costs in 2027, increasing to 50 per cent by 2031 to reduce reliance on federal funding.

Azhan Shafriman said the government previously bore the full rights fee while much of the event’s economic benefit flowed to hotels, food and beverage businesses, logistics providers and local suppliers.

He said SIC’s direct event income came from ticket sales, hospitality, retail vending, and other commercial activities within the venue.

On ticket pricing, Azhan Shafriman said improvements to the spectator experience would need to precede any price increase.

“We planned to increase the price a few years back, but we think that the product needs improvement before we increase the ticket price. We can learn from our F1 experience.

“There were many things that F1 asked us to provide, including giant screens, sound systems, access to water and access to shade. These are the things we will look at before increasing MotoGP ticket prices,” he said.

The circuit would assess the performance of different ticket categories, while the quantum of any increase remained under review.

On track rental, Azhan Shafriman said rising costs were squeezing margins, with current charges at about RM70,000 to RM80,000 per day, inclusive of marshals and circuit facilities.

SIC would consider Malaysian event organisers’ needs and benchmark its rates against local and international circuits.

“What we need to know is the comparison with tracks around us and also international tracks. How much are they charging? How much are we charging? It goes back to the value and whether the value we provide is commensurate with what they pay,” he said.

SIC was also seeking to minimise discounts by offering additional facilities instead, while considering support for longstanding customers.

“There will always be disgruntled customers when we increase prices. But I think everyone should understand that we are running a business and, to a certain extent, we need to survive in the coming years.

“If we still maintain the same prices and the same offerings, I do not think SIC can survive. We will look at the value we provide to customers,” he said.

Azhan Shafriman also anticipated changes to MotoGP’s business model under its new management, particularly in fan engagement and attracting audiences beyond its traditional following.

US-based Liberty Media Corp completed its acquisition of Dorna Sports SL, MotoGP’s commercial rights holder, in July 2025.

“Recently, we have seen fans coming to F1 who are not hardcore F1 or motorsport fans. This is what MotoGP is trying to address, namely, how to bring a bigger crowd to MotoGP,” he said.

Azhan Shafriman pointed to F1’s growth after Liberty Media’s takeover and said MotoGP was pursuing similar approaches.

“There are many plans that I have heard of from MotoGP. We will probably have a MotoGP version of Drive to Survive on Netflix in the coming years. And the fan engagement that MotoGP will do will be quite similar to what F1 has used,” he added. 

He noted that domestic spectators typically accounted for about 70 per cent of attendance. In comparison, international visitors made up about 20 to 30 per cent, with Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia the top three source countries.

Azhan Shafriman said an equal split between domestic and foreign spectators over the next five years would be ideal.

“We have to work hard to get more international visitors coming in. We have to work hand in hand with Tourism Malaysia, together with MotoGP, to do more promotion to attract more foreign tourists to Malaysia,” he said.

Beyond pricing, SIC’s five- to 10-year masterplan aims to attract investors to develop facilities around the circuit, supported by a land sublease agreement signed with Malaysia Airports.

Azhan Shafriman said income from the developments would help meet future rights fee payments, with a hotel and a secure vehicle storage facility among the projects under consideration.

-- BERNAMA