María José “Majo” Botella is the Head of Marketing & Events for the CFMOTO Aspar Team. Since 1991, Majo has been growing with the team in the MotoGP world. We had the opportunity to have a quick conversation with Majo before the British Grand Prix. Here is her story.
© All photos provided by María José Botella unless otherwise noted
This is the 25th season for Majo to be working in the paddock. Before going trackside, she had been working in the office of the Aspar team since 1991 when she was still a student. For her, it was all happening quite naturally because of the passion people share in Spain, especially in Valencia, her hometown. “In Valencia, there was a lot of passion for motorcycling. That’s why we have 24 World Champions in Spain. We are like the ‘the place to be’ in terms of motorsport, because a lot of the champions came from Valencia. I was 18 years old when I started in the office. I was studying and working at the same time. I started at the administration department with another person, there were only the two of us and I was dealing with everything at the very beginning.”
When Majo first started in the office, Jorge “Aspar” Martinez himself hadn’t retired from racing yet. Now Majo is working as the head of Marketing & Events department for the Aspar Team and the team is a force to be reckoned with in Moto2, Moto3, and MotoE (the team was also in MotoGP between 2010 and 2018). Throughout her long journey with the team, she has grown tremendously in different roles. “Our team was growing over time, and I grew simultaneously with them. They promoted me inside the company, and I decided to go with them, now here I am today. I started with organizing the team’s logistics and guests and in 1999 the company promoted me to travel around the world with them. I was taking each opportunity when it came to me. I respect Jorge a lot and I feel very lucky to be on the Aspar team.”
Always be positive. This world is very competitive, not only on the racetrack, but also in the paddock. You always want to be on top of things.
As Majo’s role changes, and as the World Championship changes, challenges come in new forms. But Majo always adapts to the world around her. “MotoGP now is very different. In the earlier days, it was not as busy and demanding as it is now. Over the years, I have continued to educate myself to stay updated professionally. I studied International Trade, and during COVID, I completed a master’s in Digital Marketing. I believe it is important to have ongoing training to keep up with the new technologies and tools that progress offers us. In this world, languages are also very important because they can open many doors.”
With her marketing and events department, Majo is in charge of giving the team’s guests an experience of their lifetime. “There are four people in my department. The race weekend is very intense. But it also depends on where we race. We might have 200 guests during a Grand Prix in Spain or Italy. For other races, we might have around 30 guests. We organize the guest list in advance, contacting our partners. We organize the weekend program and schedule, such as meet and greet with the riders, activities in our hospitality and garage, tours in the paddock. We try to give them the best experience possible. Some of our partners have been with us for years. Our goal is to make them enjoy the MotoGP experience, making it unforgettable for them. We also provide a networking opportunity between them, helping them connect and find business opportunities together.”
Not only is Valencia the birthplace of many champions, the Aspar team has also produced many champions. One of the big talking points from last season (and also this season) is that the premier class title contenders, Bagnaia and Martin, both came out of the Aspar camp. Majo has shared the team’s success throughout the years. She herself stood on the podium to collect the trophy for the team in the 2023 Catalunya Grand Prix, a rewarding experience after so many years of hard work. “In more than 20 years in the World Championship, we have a lot of good memories. All the titles were very special. But somehow for me, the most special one was the first one with Álvaro Bautista’s 125cc title in 2006. It was also great to see Nico Terol winning it in Valencia (in 2011), since he’s a Valencian rider and we are based in Valencia with many sponsors from Valencia. Last year I collected the trophy in Catalunya for the team. It was a very emotional day for me. I didn’t expect it. It was a surprise from my boss. It’s a memory that I will never forget. I hope there will be more.”
This year, the Aspar team started to partner with CFMOTO Racing in the Moto2 and Moto3 classes. For Majo and the team, the new partnership brings new challenges and excitement for the season and beyond. “We are excited every season, of course. This year, it’s been especially exciting because we are changing brands. We changed from GasGas to CFMOTO in just one month. We were very excited to work with a new manufacturer. We are from different cultures. When we met them at CFMOTO headquarters, it was like magic! It was a challenge as well. I couldn’t sleep because we had to change all our visuals from red to blue, we had to make everything new. We didn’t have much time in the pre-season for the production of the designs, sponsorship proposals, the livery of the bike, and so on. This also makes me especially motivated. Now, it couldn’t have been better! We are very happy with them and they are very happy with us.”
In the end, as always, we asked Majo to give some advice to the younger generation aspiring to work in motorsport. Here is what she said. “I think It’s very important to have a purpose in your life. Follow that purpose. You might make mistakes on the way, but you can always come back to where you were heading. With discipline and hard work, you can get whatever you want to achieve in your life.”
By the end the the Austrian GP, the Aspar Team’s young star David Alonso has racked up seven wins in eleven GPs and leading the Moto3 rider’s championship by an astonishing 71 points. We wish Majo and the team all the best of luck in the rest of the season. Hopefully, we see Aspar and CFMOTO bagging this years rider’s, team’s, and constructor’s championships in Moto3 all very soon!
* We’d like to thank Mr. SU Zhen and CFMOTO for all their support in making this interview happen!
Paddock Sorority 
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