MotoGP officially coming to India; First race in 2023

Motorsport enthusiasts rejoice, as all the rumours around MotoGP making its debut in India are true. Dorna Sports, the authorised organizer of MotoGP around the world, and Fairstreet Sports hailing from Noida have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). Under this MoU, Dorna Sports has got the right to organize MotoGP for the next seven years in India.

The MotoGP event of India will be called the Grand Prix of Bharat and will be organized in the mecca of Indian motorsports, Buddh International Circuit (BIC). While the MoU has been signed for the next seven years, the exact date of the Grand Prix of Bharat has not been finalized yet. However, Dorna Sports is working on finalizing a date in the 2023 calendar of MotoGP.

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In an official statement to the media, Carlos Ezpeleta, Managing Director of Dorna Sports, said that because India is the largest two-wheeler market in the world, bringing MotoGP to India was an obvious decision. With the Grand Prix of Bharat, Dorna Sports is eyeing to attract new motorsport fans in India and worldwide. Talks are also going on about bringing the all-electric MotoE series into the country.

It will happen at Budh International Circuit

For organizing the Grand Prix of Bharat at the Buddh International Circuit in Noida, the organizers of the event are already in talks with the Uttar Pradesh government and the Ministry of Sports in the Central Government. However, considering that Buddh International Circuit is yet to be homologated by Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM), the 2023 event seems to be still under scrutiny.

Officially inaugurated in 2011, the Buddh International Circuit was built with an investment of Rs 2,000 crore and hosted Indian Grand Prix from 2011 to 2013. Since the track was originally made for hosting Formula1 races, it will need some tweaks to make it suitable for motorcycle racing. The news of BIC hosting a MotoGP race comes after a long time since the rumours of the World Superbike Championship (WSBK) taking place on the track rose in the mid-2010s.

Formula1 never came to India after 2013 after a tussle with the Indian government over payment of taxes. The Indian government did not recognise racing as a form of sport, which is why the F1 authorities needed to pay full tax to organise the event and import the vehicles and technology.

Commenting on this announcement, the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath said that hosting such a mega event will be a matter of great pride. The MotoGP event will also be instrumental in creating new job opportunities, as, with this event, around 50,000 new jobs are expected to be created. Apart from this, the mega event of MotoGP might also play a crucial role in boosting the hospitality and tourism industry of the state.

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