Lausanne prepares to welcome the world’s fastest riders
Motorcycle racing’s world champions will gather in Switzerland for the first-ever Lausanne-hosted FIM Awards on 6 December.
The FIM Awards are packing their bags for home turf in 2025, with Lausanne set to host the ceremony today, Saturday, 6 December. It’s the first time the annual celebration of motorcycle sport has been staged in Switzerland, despite the FIM being based there. So, a little overdue, then.
Working with the Canton de Vaud, the City of Lausanne and backed by Swiss Moto – the Swiss Motorcycle Federation – the event will land in the SwissTech Convention Center. It’s a modern venue with a sustainability focus, which feels about right for today’s global motorcycle racing circus: fast, futuristic, and powered by quiet efficiency.
As ever, the guest list will be stacked. World champions from across the disciplines will gather under one roof to pick up their medals after a year spent trading paint, chasing flags and setting lap records. Expect the likes of:
- MotoGP World Champion Marc Márquez
- WorldSBK king Toprak Razgatlioglu
- Enduro heavy-hitters Josep Garcia and Rachel Gutish
- MXGP top dog Romain Febvre and WMX star Lotte van Drunen
- Rally-Raid standout Daniel Sanders
- Speedway GP master Bartosz Zmarzlik
- Trials icons Toni Bou and Berta Abellan
Before the champagne corks start popping, attention will turn to Mies – the previous FIM headquarters – where the brand-new FIM Racing Motorcycle Museum opens its doors. The museum promises a permanent showcase of the sport’s story, charting the machines and characters who took the long road from early motorsport to modern-day racing technology.
The weekend kicks off a day earlier with the FIM Awards Warm-Up Party. World Champions, sponsors and media will squeeze into Chalet Suisse for a traditional Swiss dinner. Interviews follow on Saturday morning before the big bikes and big names arrive for the red carpet at SwissTech.
Once inside, it’s business, dinner and more celebration, with the festivities due to stretch well into Sunday. Before all that, though, the same venue will host the FIM General Assembly on Friday 5 December, where delegates from more than 100 national federations will vote on the sport’s official business.
For most of us, it’s not a weekend we’ll be attending in a tux. Thankfully, the entire ceremony will be broadcast live and free on FIM-MOTO.TV, starting today at 22:00 CET (9pm UK time).
Find the latest motorcycle news on Visordown.com
Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!
