Racing attendance and television viewership surge in 2025

Dec 30, 2025

The popularity of racing often waxes and wanes. (If you need any convincing, just look at American Flat Track.)

In recent years, the prevailing narrative points to waning interest in motorcycle racing. Be it rider retirements (I’m looking at you, Rossi) or rule changes (ahem, AFT), various developments can turn fans away. But the latest data tells a different story. One where the popularity of racing is actually on the rise.

A wide photo of the packed stands at France's Le Mans circuit. — MotoGP clearly aimed to capitalize on Marc Márquez’s resurgence, labeling it one of the “greatest ever comeback stories” in all of sports. Oftentimes, storylines and personalities help draw a crowd, not just the action on track. MotoGP photo.

Off to the races

MotoGP welcomed a record-breaking 3.6 million attendees across 22 race weekends. In all, nine attendance records were eclipsed in 2025. That includes the Grand Prix of France, which set MotoGP’s all-time attendance record with 311,797 attendees. MotoGP isn’t just putting more butts in seats. It’s also claiming unprecedented growth in television viewership and social media engagement.

Honda MotoGP rider Johann Zarco performs a backflip in front of fans at Le Mans. — Le Mans didn’t just host MotoGP’s most-attended race weekends. It also provided one of the most action-packed rounds of the season. The results were worthy of a Johann Zarco backflip. MotoGP photo.

Global television audiences increased by 9%. Sprint race viewership spiked by 26%. Even more impressive was MotoGP’s social media presence. Followers across MotoGP’s social handles now total more than 60 million, with engagement rising by 61% (compared to 2024). Throughout the season, fans watched over 1 billion minutes of content on MotoGP’s official YouTube channel.

Josh Herrin tips his Ducati superbike into a turn at Road America. — The MotoAmerica round at Road America was the “most-attended Superbike weekend in the track’s 45-year history,” according to track officials. MotoAmerica reported total weekend attendance of 47,944 at Road America and said attendance at the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca round also topped 40,000. As former Warhorse HSBK Ducati rider Josh Herrin (1) noted, “I’ve been racing here since 2006, and this is the biggest crowd I’ve ever seen at Road America.” Photo by Brian J. Nelson.

In all, the global fanbase swelled to 632 million in 2025. Dorna didn’t disclose how it calculates that followership, but it equates to a 12% increase over last year’s estimates. What’s more surprising is that the majority of those fans are under 35 years old. It’s been that way for the past five years, too, underscoring what MotoGP characterizes as “the sport’s growing appeal to a new generation.” This jump in popularity isn’t restricted to road racing, either.

Cooper Webb completes the whoops as Supercross fans look on from the stands. — Supercross returned to Pittsburgh after a 42-year hiatus. The round welcomed 58,000-plus fans to Acrisure Stadium. Supercross Live photo.

Pay dirt

In 2025, Supercross set its fourth-highest annual attendance record, with 828,796 fans tallied across 17 rounds. The season started strong, too, thanks to the fifth consecutive sold-out Anaheim opener. It wasn’t the most attended event of the season, though. That honor belongs to the Arlington, Texas, round, which welcomed more than 68,000 fans to AT&T Stadium. The Indianapolis and Seattle races also posted their second-highest attendances, with the former drawing over 62,000 fans and the latter opening its doors to 58,463 attendees.

A horde of fans mill through the FanFest zone at a Supercross round. — More than 329,751 showed up for FanFest, the pre-race festivities held before the 17 Supercross rounds. Supercross Live photo.

Supercross performed just as well outside the stadium. Global SMX Video Pass subscription increased by 43% compared to 2024 and by 70% compared to 2023. That subscription base drove a 28% hike in views, an 80% boost in unique viewers, and a 50% improvement in minutes watched.

SMX Video Pass isn’t the only way to watch Supercross, however. Peacock also streams every round. The platform didn’t just log viewership increases for 14 of this year’s 17 races (82.4%), but subscribers also watched more than 1 billion minutes of Supercross in 2025.