CryptoDATA RNF owners to sue Dorna over removal from entry list

MotoGP 2024

More behind-the-scenes shenanigans have recently been playing out surrounding the CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team. Last week 60 per cent owners of the team, CDT SPORTS AND MEDIA SRL (CryptoDATA), forced 40 per cent owner Razlan Razali out of his Team Principal position.

A few weeks ago an offer was made for the team’s ownership in the Madrid offices of Dorna, which was rejected.

Overnight, the MotoGP Selection Committee, comprising members of FIM, IRTA, and Dorna Sports, has decided not to select the CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team for the 2024 season and announced that they are reviewing applications for a new Independent Team, using Aprilia machinery, to join the MotoGP class grid for 2024.

This has led the CEO of CryptoDATA, Ovidiu Toma, to release this hard-hitting statement that suggests that he is not backing down from this fight.

CEO of CryptoDATA – Ovidiu Toma

Dear partners, motorsport fans and media representatives,

Our team, CryptoDATA RNF, is dealing with a paradoxical situation, which seems taken from a comedy film, but with much more serious side effects. Dorna, the governing organisation of MotoGP, approached us with a kind of proposal worthy of Hollywood scripts: to sell our team at a bargain price. We thought of asking them for an autograph as well, to remember such a “generous’ offer.

The story begins in 2023, when Dorna promised an American team a spot in the championship, possibly the 12th, which, oh surprise, was vacant! We can already imagine the discussions in the Dorna offices: “Let’s give the Americans 12th or CryptoDATA. What could go wrong?” Well, a lot.

After turning down KTM on the grounds that 12th was “reserved for a factory”, they realised they couldn’t offer our place without our consent. Then they came up with a buyout offer so low I thought it was a joke. I politely declined, but the pressure didn’t stop.

Now, it seems Dorna wants to knock us out of the Championship in 2024, citing reasons so creative they could write a novel. Despite a contract valid until 2026, it seems that their slogan is ‘My championship, my unwritten rules… the ones written in the contracts don’t matter”.

We’re not just disappointed, we’re ready to fight back. After a month of intensive documentation and preparation for such a situation, we will go to court with a demand for substantial compensation for damage to our business and reputation, and for the limitation of participation in the championship.

We close this release with a message for Dorna: even in motorsport, where speed is of the essence, ethics and legality should not be overridden. We look forward to seeing each other on the courts with the same passion we met on the track.

BTW, stay tuned, we will soon make public the “orchestrated spiciness” behind the show that fans watch on TV.

Respectfully
That Romanian who will overturn their chariot
Ovidiu Toma

Well, that is certainly a bit spicy…  And there does seem to be some basis for the talk of new American owners coming into MotoGP.

Trackhouse Racing, an American NASCAR team jointly owned by ex-race car driver Justin Marks and fellow 42-year-old Armando Christian Perez, more commonly known as rapper Pitbull, is understood to be in the prime seat to take over the grid spots taken from CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP. Watch this space…

In the meantime, check out the 2024 MotoGP, Moto2, and Moto3 entry lists released by Dorna overnight with both Raul Fernandez and Miguel Oliveira listed as riding for ‘Aprilia Racing Independent Team’.

2024 MotoGP Entry List

Moto2 2024 Rider Entry List

Moto3 2024 Rider Entry List

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