Chief Executive Officer

Carmelo Ezpeleta joined Dorna in 1991 as director of the motorsport department, just after the company had acquired the television broadcast rights of the motorcycle Grand Prix World Championship. He then became CEO of Dorna in 1994, and in 1998 became a Managing Director and a shareholder.

Born in Barcelona, Carmelo’s educational background was in engineering and in the early 1970s he was offered the opportunity to oversee the construction and promotion of Calafat Circuit. He then became director of the facility from 1974 to 1978, before moving to Madrid to become the director of Jarama Circuit. At the same time, Carmelo also managed the sporting activities of the Real Automobile Club of Spain (RACE), which included the Ford-RACE team with Carlos Sainz at the helm in the World Rally Championship in 1987 and 1988.

After a decade as Director of Jarama Circuit, Carmelo returned to Barcelona as an executive director of the consortium managing the construction of the now iconic Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, as well as becoming Sporting Director of the RACC (Reial Automòbil Club de Catalunya). Thereafter, he joined Dorna Sports.

Carmelo was a key figure in creating the new era of close collaboration between the FIM, IRTA and Dorna in the early 1990s thanks to new agreements between all parties, laying the foundations for MotoGP™ going forward. He then led the management buyout only a few years thereafter and has since overseen the biggest steps forward in the history of the sport, including the introduction of the MotoGP™️ era, the increased and increasing sustainability of the paddock, and the long-term evolution of the technical regulations to create the close competition now enjoyed by both manufacturers and Independent Teams.

Alongside his commitment to creating an environment in which all stakeholders can thrive, Carmelo is a staunch advocate for rider safety. Having spearheaded the beginnings of the safety revolution that began more than thirty years ago, he remains hands on in the Safety Commission, meeting with riders at every Grand Prix as the sport continues to push to make MotoGP™️ better, and safer, than ever.

His passion for sports also goes beyond MotoGP™, and alongside being an amateur motorcycle rider and car driver, Carmelo stood out as a skilled amateur pelota (Jai Alai) player. He was a five-time Jai Alai champion of Spain with the Catalan team and twice champion of Catalonia, representing Spain in various international tournaments.