World Moto Clash: Building An Entertainment Product Around Racing
By Michael Gougis
Don’t think of World Moto Clash in terms of motorcycle road racing as it is traditionally done. You have a much better chance of grasping the idea behind World Moto Clash, which promises $1 million to the winner of each race and a $2.86 million purse for each weekend, if you think of it as a made-for-Hollywood project, where the racing provides the structure and format for a television show.
“Our real model is the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship),” said Stanford W. Crane, Jr., founder and Chief Executive Officer of World Moto Clash, in a wide-ranging interview with Roadracing World.
The idea behind World Moto Clash (WMC) has been around for nearly two decades, and news releases have been posted several times in the past about the concept, which promised motorcycles faster than those raced in MotoGP.
Crane now says WMC has a date for its first race at the Utah Motorsports Campus (which has new American owners and until recently was owned and operated by a Chinese company as Burt Brothers Motorpark) in Grantsville, Utah; plans to run at least two races in 2026; has a television production crew on board; and has commitments for the funding needed to make it all happen. And Crane says the purse money for the racers will be in an escrow account 30 days before the first race.
There are two key components to the WMC concept, Crane says.
The main product is the television series leading up to the event, Crane said in the interview that also included WMC Chief Financial Officer Matt Doty; WMC Competition Director Carry Andrew (a championship-winning former racer/team owner, and retired racebike builder and tuner); and WMC Chief Communications Officer Cheryl Lynch. The programming will tell the stories of the riders involved, the teams, the machines themselves, with narratives that will be familiar to audiences of reality television competition programs like the UFC. The goal is to provide that content for streaming services, and although talks are ongoing, Lynch says, no contracts have been signed to air the content as of now and nothing has been optioned. The shows will be supported by a social media campaign focused on making the racers, crews and family members the center of attention.
The secondary product will be the race weekends themselves: “Epic events,” as Crane described them. They will be invitation-only, with 48 riders invited and the field being whittled to 30 starters for Sunday’s main race through a series of qualifying heats and a last-chance shootout. A handful of spots on the grid will be reserved for racers who failed to qualify but are selected by a vote of fans on social media. WMC hopes to provide a Formula One level of experience for well-heeled fans attending the events, with behind-the-scenes access, fan rides, exclusive VIP areas, and interactions with celebs, racers and teams. “It will seem more like you’re going to the Super Bowl,” Crane says. “By the time we get to (the second race at Mid-Ohio), it will be a VIP-rich experience.” The races themselves are a separate media product, being marketed and produced independently of the reality TV series.
That, in a nutshell, is the high concept.
WMC differs from the traditional racing model in a number of ways. It’s not racing that is hopefully entertaining (formula libre a.k.a. open formula motorcycle road racing in the U.S. has not generally produced close on-track racing). WMC is an entertainment product built around racing. It is not a series of races to determine the winner of a Championship. Instead, each race weekend will crown its own Champion. There is only one class. Of those who apply to participate, being fast isn’t necessarily what gets them an invitation. This is entertainment. Participants in the interview made it very clear that while the cast (and it’s not unfair to think of the riders, teams and crew members as cast members) would have an international component, the focus would be on U.S.-based teams, riders and builders. Narratives, rivalries and back stories of those involved would be key to the selection process. “(In the past Americans) went over there (to race in the Grand Prix World Championship) because that was the big show,” Crane says. “In my world, the big show is not Europe.” Crane is targeting a U.S. audience because of its size–in his words, 35% of global advertising spending takes place in the U.S.A. And WMC is not just looking for backing among the typical supporters of motorcycle road racing, but envisions getting support from investors interested in backing an entertainment product. “As far as sponsors go,” Crane says, “endemic sponsors are very important to WMC; however, we don’t want the series to revolve around factories or sponsors, but have them support instead. As a matter of fact, WMC is happy to offer advantageous terms to early supporters.”
Crane says the investors already behind the project are “high-net-worth individuals” who are fans of motorcycle racing, but their interest is in the entertainment product. This is the idea behind Crane’s belief that the product’s valuation could reach $1 billion, based on what other reality/sports entertainment products currently are valued at. WMC declined to identify the investors, but said that the first two rounds are fully funded for purse and production.
And to further the emphasis on entertainment, WMC’s core team consists mostly of people who have experience in producing motorsports and reality television programming. Among them are Michael A. Simon, who was responsible for VH1’s Storytellers show and directs the clip video show Ridiculousness; Tom Shelly, one of the original producers of the “Survivor” television show; and Chet Burks, best known for his work producing NASCAR on TBS and the Winter Olympics in the 1990s, but was also the executive director for the “What’s In The Barn?” show about motorcycle barn finds. Will Staeger of Sonoma Sports & Entertainment, who has worked with projects for ESPN, WWE, LIV Golf, Endeavor and Dick Clark Productions, is shopping global media rights.
And WMC is even looking for alternative sources of entertainment-oriented revenue. Crane pointed out that the team has had preliminary talks with Mattel to produce toy versions of the motorcycles slated to compete in WMC.
This is expected to be a proof-of-concept year for WMC. Currently, the July 10-12 date for the Utah event conflicts with the MotoAmerica round at Laguna Seca and the MotoGP race at the Sachsenring. Crane said in the interview that he did not know about the scheduling conflict with MotoAmerica when the Utah WMC date was selected and that he was considering changing the date of the WMC event.
Next season is supposed to increase the at-track VIP experience and add more events. And 2027 is where the “Super Teams” concept will be introduced, with ex-racers including Superbike Champions Miguel Duhamel and Colin Edwards, and AMA Formula 1 race winner and famed stunt man/stunt director Gregg Smrz running teams and competing against each other and “The Privateers,” the independent teams.
WMC does not intend to seek sanctioning from any existing racing sanctioning body, and while it says that the track in Utah was FIM Grade B compliant when it hosted World Superbike in the past, it does not intend to seek FIM certification for the track due to the cost. Tracks are rated by the FIM as A, B or C, with a Grade A license mandatory for MotoGP events, Grade B for World Superbike, and Grade C deemed suitable for events featuring smaller, lower-powered, and slower machines. WMC will adhere to FIM North America Safety Standards as they pertain to the track, riders, and equipment.
“To me, professional racing is when you can actually make a real living, not a baseline living, but a real living. And so I said, ‘Why don’t we just take money that would be allocated to sanctioning bodies and put that towards the purse?'” Crane says. A WMC spokesperson said racers would need to have a valid competition license issued by a recognized sanctioning body like AMA, WERA, FIM, ASRA, etc.
Crane is a former racer of motorcycles and powerboats, and was last involved with AMA Pro Road Racing in the mid-2000s running the Lion Racing team with Andrew in the Superstock class. He is the founder of Crane Electronics, which manufacturers electrical connectors, and The Panda Project, a Florida-based company that produced computers. He is also the founder of a tech incubator firm in Silicon Valley and the CEO of NewGuard Entertainment.
Much of the rhetoric surrounding WMC has focused on the unlimited machine format. Crane is hoping to attract builders who are thinking outside of the rules of professional racing series. Forced induction, open aerodynamics, open tires, ultra light weight–all are permitted. The idea is to encourage creativity among the motorcycle developers, to have them generate unique, innovative machines. If modern top-line racebikes from, say, MotoGP or World Superbike, are not on hand (and no factory or satellite MotoGP team has competed in any non-Championship event with a MotoGP racebike for years, if ever), that’s not really a problem.
Lap times aren’t the goal here.
Stories are.
Crane illustrated the main idea behind World Moto Clash by recounting a discussion he had with Simon about Hard Knocks, a behind-the-scenes reality show about professional football.
Simon, Crane says, told him that his wife “will not watch an NFL game, but she will not miss an episode of Hard Knocks because she wants to see what’s going on with the families, what’s going on with the people, not what’s going on with the football.”
More, from a press release issued by World Moto Clash (WMC):
WORLD MOTO CLASH, Richest Single Motorcycle Race Ever, Taps Reality TV Vets Tom Shelly and Michael A. Simon to Lead WMC Series Programming
Will Staeger to Rep Global Media Rights and Chet Burks Handling Race Production Services for the Invitation-only, Open-Class, Open-Equipment Race Series
Often referred to as one of the original disruptive entrepreneurs, Stanford W. Crane, Jr, founder of the Silicon Valley Incubator, holder of more than 170 patents, accomplished Superbike racer and race team owner for over 30 years, has tapped Emmy award-winners and Executive Producer-Showrunner Tom Shelly (Survivor) and Director-Producer Michael A. Simon (Ridiculousness) to create unscripted shows and story-rich background material to add to the LIVE motorsports race weekend content portfolio for World Moto Clash.
A first-of-its-kind Grand Prix and Superbike-style motorcycle racing series, World Moto Clash features a record-breaking, highest single-race first-place prize of $1,000,000 dollars and an invitation-only, open-class, open-equipment rules race format. WMC’s uniquely innovative race format allows racers to compete aboard any type of motorcycle, from any manufacturer, or one created from scratch, with no technical specifications mandated.
As the newest entry to the LIVE televised global motorsports arena, WMC’s 3 day | 6 race weekend race event debuts July 10th – 12th, 2026, at the Utah Motorsports Campus, a premier motorsports venue in Grantsville, Utah, featuring a 3.05-mile, 15-turn Outer Loop Circuit. Will Staeger of Sonoma Sports & Entertainment is exclusively repping global media rights, with Chet Burks providing race weekend production execution and innovation.
The spectacular no-holds-barred racing format starts with a field of 48 reduced to 30 racers for the final grid, with bikes reaching top speeds in excess of 200+ miles per hour and lean angles of more than 60 degrees. Racers will compete for a share of a $2,860,000 field cash prize purse that breaks down as follows: $1,000,000 for first place, $500,000 for second place and $250,000 for third place, with the remaining winnings being divided among the remaining field of 27 qualifiers.
Crane said of the game-changing race event, “I have a unique perspective that allowed me to create WMC. I’ve been a racer, a team owner, a sponsor, and a fan, but I’ve also been a disruptive entrepreneur. The former traits gave me knowledge and perspective, while the latter gave me the ability to create a unique entertainment property with a superior business solution.”
Executive Producer Tom Shelly shared, “I’m excited to be a part of World Moto Clash, the next big spectacle in motorsports competition. The inherent drama, stunning visuals, and fascinating characters of professional motorcycle racing make it the perfect subject for unscripted television.”
Director Michael A. Simon added, “Sometimes projects fall to you, and you never saw them coming. World Moto Clash feels like that, it’s got story, speed (lots of speed) and very ‘non-scripted’ endings.”
Will Staeger commented, “This is a dynamic property in a proven sport. World Moto Clash
is built for TV, built for fans, and built for the racers that put it all on the line at each race.”
Crane went on to add, “Many things in life are the way they are because of their history, and motorsport is no exception. Most motorsports were built after WWII, following a ‘let’s get everyone involved’ mindset that drove revenue from the back gate. Some series have evolved, but even those that did evolve were betrayed by having taken that first wrong step. Everything from that moment on was a course correction in some limited fashion. WMC was built for the front gate, meaning the entertainment, because we were not burdened by a flawed past, but rather by a clear vision of where things needed to go today.”
Aiming to create a truly international race circuit, WMC is already attracting racers from Europe, Asia, South America, and Africa. Within the United States, top American race talent two-time World Superbike Champion Colin Edwards and five-time Daytona 200 winner Miguel Duhamel are participating with Gregg Smrz, famed Second Unit Director and Team Principal for the Superteam, Action Stars Racing, confirming early attendance to the inaugural WMC race event in July.
Crane also announced the formation of WMC’s executive team with world-class experience spanning innovation award-winning entrepreneurs, C-suite executives from Fortune 100 companies, along with longtime motorsports and motorcycle racing industry experts. The 2026 WMC Executive Team includes: Stanford W. Crane, Jr. – Chief Executive Officer; Matt Doty – Chief Operating Officer; Steve Arnott – Chief Marketing Officer; Andrew Kastner – Chief Creative Officer; Steve Kompolt – Chief Knowledge Officer; Cheryl Lynch – Chief Communications Officer; Philip Barone – Executive Producer WMC Media; and Carry Andrew – Director of Racing.
The announcement regarding the scheduling of the second stop of the World Moto Clash 2026 race season will be made shortly with plans for an expanded 2027 WMC race schedule in the works. Ticket packages for the July 10-12 WMC event at the Utah Motorsports Campus are on sale NOW at WMC Tickets
The World Moto Clash never-before-seen race format and staggering prize purses are the first of their kind in motorcycle racing. In terms of the $2,860,000 overall prize purse per race, each single WMC race stop equates to a championship unto itself, unlike other race circuits running today. The World Moto Clash $1,000,000 first place prize money and innovative race format – no limits – open qualifying – no technical specs – one class – The GO-FAST CLASS are truly making motorsports history.
