Three days, 184,051 spectators and a new record for the books. The Red Bull Grand Prix of San Marino and the Riviera di Rimini bids farewell to Misano with the best attendance figures ever recorded over a race weekend, once again confirming MotoGP’s power to draw tens of thousands of enthusiasts to the Riviera.
The numbers tell a story of steady growth culminating in a packed Sunday: 33,507 spectators on Friday, 54,059 on Saturday, and 96,485 on the final day at the Misano World Circuit. The wave of fans wasn’t confined to the track alone — it also swept through the coastal towns and San Marino, both involved throughout the week in events tied to the Grand Prix.
Spectators travelled from numerous countries. Among the largest foreign contingents were fans from France, Switzerland, Germany and the United Kingdom, but Misano also welcomed enthusiasts from Australia, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Asia and Kenya.
“This was an extraordinary edition, confirmed by the new record of 184,051 attendees over the course of the weekend,” said the Republic of San Marino, the Emilia-Romagna Region, the municipalities of the Riviera di Rimini and the Misano World Circuit in a joint statement. “It’s a result that fills us with pride and confirms the strength of an event capable of attracting an ever-larger audience, turning the Grand Prix into a major opportunity to promote and showcase the whole area, with significant benefits for the local economy.”
It wasn’t just about the racing. The weekend marked the culmination of a week of events spread across the region, brought together under the “The Riders’ Land Experience” programme, spanning the Republic of San Marino and the towns of the Riviera.
“This result is the fruit of great teamwork: institutions, organisers, operators, volunteers and everyone who worked to give such a large crowd the best possible welcome,” the promoters noted, offering special thanks to the police forces and personnel responsible for security and traffic management, particularly on Sunday.
This edition was also marked by “Misano Grand Finale,” a storytelling experiment blending cinema, motorsport and artificial intelligence. The mini-series, conceived and produced by Fidelio, built a narrative around the Grand Prix’s new trophy, designed by Pininfarina, turning it into the protagonist of a chase across some of the most iconic locations of the Riviera di Rimini and San Marino.
The final chapter unfolded live at the circuit. Shortly before the MotoGP race got underway, two helicopters of the Italian Navy flew over the track and three parachutists from the Gruppo Operativo Incursori (special forces unit) landed at the Misano World Circuit. Closing out the story was Tony Cairoli, nine-time Motocross world champion, who returned the trophy to its case before the anthems and the start of the race.
The Grand Prix also drew numerous familiar faces from sport and entertainment to Misano. Spotted in the paddock were Cesare Cremonini, Olly, Federico Rossi, Marco Belinelli, Simona Quadarella, Vincenzo Nibali, Alessandro Petacchi, Nicola Ventola, Carlton Myers and Paolo Cevoli, along with British actor Matthew Broome. Vincenzo Nibali had the honour of waving the chequered flag at the finish of the MotoGP race.
“This new record marks an important starting point and pushes us to keep working together to grow the event further, along with the territorial project that sustains it,” the promoters concluded. The goal is to further strengthen the role of Riders’ Land on the international motorcycling stage.
