Audio revolution: MotoGP's Sergi Sendra on the evolution of the top two-wheeled motorsport's sound By Heather McLean
Tuesday, January 14, 2025 - 08:49
Print This Story
MotoGP is now entering the third generation of its audio evolution, which will mean riders listening to safety messages from Race Direction, then potentially rider discussions with their teams making it to air live from the race track as the bikes hit phenomenal speeds
MotoGP was the first motorsport world championship when it was born in 1949, with a first season comprising only six Grands Prix. Since then, the sport has grown to a calendar of more than 22 Grands Prix across five continents, and its popularity has soared to a global fanbase of over 500 million. Its live TV coverage has equally expanded into a global, high-octane show reaching more than 200 territories.
In the beginning, MotoGP focused on the visual aspects of its broadcast production rather than the audio, which remained a missing piece for some time, given the sheer volume of sound these prototype machines are able to generate. Yet in 2013 it discovered a partner in audio with Lawo, which took MotoGP from analogue to digital sound.
Sergi Sendra, head of global technology at MotoGP, tells the story: We spent so much effort on the video developing the cameras, developing a methodology for directing, and graphics. There were a lot of things and audio was there, but we didn't have a partner for many years and we were looking for somebody.
The first audio partner [we found was] Lawo in 2013 and 2014, and it's important for me to remember what we achieved with them, thanks to Philipp Lawo and his agreement with us then.
On what those achievements were, he says: That was a way to mix signals, mixing voices, and sound from the track because we were on an analogue system before going digital with them; 2013 was the preparation and we went digital in 2014. But when we made this effort to start producing in surround sound and multichannel sound in 2014, the reality was the audio was still not yet good enough. We realised to make any kind of approach to 5.1 was really, really a big challenge.
The new MotoGP logo, which launched in November 2024
New audio partner
MotoGP then began to look for a new audio partner that could evolve the sound of the sport further. That is when Audio-Technica appeared on the scene, says Sendra. One day in 2018, Audio-Technica approached us to ask if we would be interested in working together. That was in Valencia in 2018.
Rodrigo Thomaz [project manager for broadcast partnerships, Audio-Technica Europe] from Audio-Technica visited us, then he communicated to Robert [Morgan-Males, CEO at Audio-Technica] and we set up a very special meeting in Barcelona, reminisces Sendra.
It was close to Christmas but we had to make it happen. They were interested, but they needed more information. So Robert came to Barcelona and I remember we spent three hours together, and we said, okay, we'll do it .
Audio-Technica was prepared to work with MotoGP to bring the true sound of the sport the bikes themselves to viewers at home. Continues Sendra: The reason [we went for it with Audio-Technica] was somebody for the first time was going to provide audio tools touching the ground for capture. Because at the end of the day, capturing MotoGP is the most complex thing. We're talking about huge spaces; you could fit more than 100 football pitches in a MotoGP circuit, like Austin or Silverstone. I mean, there's so much space to cover.
The roar of those bikes is anything but simple to capture, with a high level of audio contamination that makes focussing on a single subject detail difficult. Says Sendra: And again, it's easier to put a camera in and envision a one kilometre [area of track] than listening to the progression of speed and changes between that point that you see that original point to the end point where the camera will be able to still give you a shot, he explains.
We are talking about sound that's related to bikes, which is kind of a special sound. I don't want to call it noise. It's pure sound. And we didn't have a proper audio system installed on the bikes. We didn't have a proper audio system installed in the garages. We didn't have proper audio system installed on the track side.
Concept for sound
Audio-Technica then set about developing a concept for sound that turned into specialist microphones specifically designed for the unique and challenging MotoGP race track.
The first generation of sound for MotoGP was micing up the overall audio of the track itself. The second generation was about immersive sound, micing the pitlane, the paddock, the crowd, and capturing the atmosphere on the straight, as well as getting microphones on the bikes to accompany the cameras.
Now, the third generation comes from a sporting area request; providing sound from Race Direction to riders as a further safety measure and way to connect them. And this adds also a new chance for MotoGP to mic the riders themselves to capture what they say as they hurtle around the track, as well as any possible conversations with their teams, all of which is set to be no easy task.
Says Sendra: It's now been six years non-stop, developing the concept, the microphones, the capsules, everything related to the way you want to transmit a real environment where there are people, there is noise, there are sounds, there are voices, there's silence. When the bike stops on the track and you want to hear the marshals shouting, and we achieve it.
On the bike microphones, Sendra says: On the bikes we are now able to install up to eight microphones, which is crazy. And why eight microphones? Because we have four cameras. That was an agreement between Sony and Audio-Technica. Each
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
30/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/05/2026
Zero in on one that says yes (and no)
Andy Marken May 29, 2026
0 Comments
Hero image courtesy of Deposit Photos
For content creators the most difficu...
29/05/2026
With InfoComm 2026 just weeks away, NDI is giving attendees plenty of reasons to...
29/05/2026
Reaffirming a partnership that has defined Canadian sports broadcasting since 19...
29/05/2026
Mobile/tablet is No. 2 device for watching TV, suggesting that the sports-production industry needs to take another look at the format
Ring Digital's Sprin...
29/05/2026
Berliner Ensemble, one of Berlin's five major theater companies, has expande...
29/05/2026
Solid State Logic will showcase its new compact, fly-away TCA Tour audio product...
29/05/2026
Gerald (Jerry) Pierce, a pioneering technologist who helped shape the digital transformation of the motion picture industry, passed away last month on April 12 ...
29/05/2026
Paramount+ will be the English-language U.S. home for Barclays Women's Super...
29/05/2026
Further strengthening its virtualisation strategy to fully support broadcasters ...
29/05/2026
Swiss broadcaster Canal Alpha has deployed Harmonic's award-winning, software-based XOS Advanced Media Processor to modernize playout operations across cant...
29/05/2026
PTZOptics will showcase a new generation of intelligent video workflows at InfoComm 2026, June 17-19, Las Vegas. Visitors to booth N8227 will see how PTZOptics ...
29/05/2026
Arizona's Family has launched the Arizona's Family Sports (AZFS) streaming app, a new direct-to-consumer destination for live, local sports. The app is ...
29/05/2026
Starting in 2027, DAZN will be the exclusive home of The Canadian Football Leagu...
29/05/2026
Comcast Business has detailed the advanced network infrastructure it has deploye...
29/05/2026
In two-day event, leaders from academia and industry explored solutions to chall...
29/05/2026
The Basketball Tournament (TBT), now entering their 13th year of competition, ha...
29/05/2026
Roku has launched FOX One as a Premium Subscription on The Roku Channel in the U.S. Roku customers can now subscribe to FOX One using their Roku account for liv...
29/05/2026
In its sixth year, the broadcaster's coverage has become a global brand and ...
29/05/2026
Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent ratings news and is derived from press re...
29/05/2026
The days are getting longer, the temperatures are rising, and playlists are filling up for the season. With summer around the corner, Spotify's global edito...
29/05/2026
New retro-inspired MPC announced
There are few devices that have gained the status held by Akai Pro's MPC range, and in recent years, the company have s...
29/05/2026
Save up to 30 on acclaimed titles
Following a successful launch at Superbooth 2026, Bjooks have revealed that they will be continuing the Kickstarter campa...
29/05/2026
Binaural monitoring application improved
Genelec have just released an update that brings some powerful new features to their HRTF-based binaural headphone ...
29/05/2026
6 June 2026 at SAE Institute, London, UK
IMSTA FESTA 2026 is almost upon us, with some of the biggest names in pro-audio set to descend upon SAE Institute i...
29/05/2026
Gerald (Jerry) Pierce, a pioneering technologist who helped shape the digital transformation of the motion picture industry, died April 12, 2026, at his home in...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Comparing 5 AI Video Enhancers for Restoring Old Video Quality
Kate Luvis May 29, 2026
0 Comments
Digitizing VHS, MiniDV, and other legacy formats doe...
29/05/2026
Studio Hamburg Builds New Post Pipeline with DaVinci Resolve Studio
Brie Clayton May 29, 2026
0 Comments
Workflow replaces a patchwork of legacy tools...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
At the Intersection of Music and Dance, an Epic Collaboration Boston Conservatory musicians and dancers found creative parallels in their recent performance o...
29/05/2026
May 29 2026, 09:00 (PDT) Dolby and rednote Bring More Immersive Storytelling to...
29/05/2026
Something fundamental has shifted in how people consume media. Audiences aren't abandoning television or radio content; they're just expanding how, wher...
29/05/2026
Youtube exclusive special drops today
Watch now
UKTV today announces another e...
29/05/2026
Back to All News
The Official Trailer of Physical 100 Italy, on Netflix From Se...
29/05/2026
At just 20 years old, Sean Melia from Summerhill Co. Meath has been revealed as the winner of Super Garden 2026. Sean is the youngest ever contestant and winner...
29/05/2026
Experimental HIV vaccine achieves a long-sought goal In a first for the field, all non-human primates given a new series of vaccines generated antibodies capabl...
Audio revolution: MotoGP's Sergi Sendra on the evolution of the top two-wheeled motorsport's sound By Heather McLean 
