MotoGP is finally coming to India

Earlier yesterday News18 broke a story stating that the world’s apex two-wheel motorsport - MotoGP is going to add the Indian GP or Bharat GP to its calendar, as early as 2023. The news has excited many MotoGP enthusiasts, even though Dorna Motorsports, the promoter of MotoGP, is yet to make the official announcement. Top officials from Dorna Motorsports, including Dorna chief Carmelo Ezpeleta are due to arrive in India to make a formal announcement on the 21st of September, so it's uncertain at this point just when MotoGP will have a full race weekend in India. Although the grapevine suggests it’s set to debut as soon as 2023, according to MotoGP journalist Mat Oxley’s tweet, the first race wouldn’t take place before 2024.

Why India?

Although any statement is purely conjectural at this point, India does have the world’s largest motorcycling population. With India’s motorcycling market opening-up to performance bikes, the time is ripe for the apex two-wheel motor racing championship to add India – the world’s largest two-wheeler market with over 37 million motorcycles on road – to its annual calendar.

Why Buddh International Circuit?

Buddh International Circuit is currently the country’s only FIA-graded Formula 1 circuit. The BIC, which hasn’t witnessed any international motorsport event, even though it has been steadfastly maintained to F1 standards. Unlike several MotoGP circuits, BIC has a relatively simpler format, with long straights, wide chicanes, and a double-apex parabolic section – all of which are designed for high-speed linear driving with sharp right hand cornering. The only aspect that can present a challenge to MotoGP riders is the smog surrounding the Greater Noida area, where it is based, and the extreme heat. Due to the latter, some are speculating that the Bharat GP may be held post sun-set.

Regulatory hurdles

The primary reason for Formula One’s hasty departure from India was because the government categorised it as entertainment and not a sport. Therefore it was not exempt from customs duty, and being heavy on equipment and logistics, this proved too expensive an affair for F1, which faced more relaxed regulations in other countries. There’s no word on just what sort of tax structures MotoGP will be subject to. The budget to run a MotoGP team is approximately $15 million, considerably lower than that of a Formula 1 team. Earlier this year, The Hindu reported that the FMSCI was in talks with MotoGP to bring it to India, so it’s likely that MotoGP has learnt from the F1 fiasco that left India without an Indian GP for nearly a decade now.

Back in 2010, there was talk of the World Superbike Championship making its debut in India, however with no further developments and many postponements, nothing materialised. At the moment, MotoGP appears to be on stronger footing.

Chance to promote Indian riding talent?

With riders like CS Santosh, KP Aravind and Ashish Roarane having made a mark at the Dakar rally, India’s motorcycling talent certainly has been present on the international stage, but not a lot has happened on the grand prix front, partly due to the lack of proper racing infrastructure.   While star riders like K Rajini and Sarath Kumar did represent India on the international stage, with the latter making it all the way to Moto3 back in 2011 with Mahindra Racing, India is yet to produce its first GP rider. While Indian motorcycle riders have, in the past, competed in the Isle of Man TT - the world’s oldest motorcycle Grand Prix, India’s own professional motorcycle racing scene can be best described as patchwork. Although there are multiple racing schools in the country, with several manufacturers like TVS and Honda offering their own one-make championships, there is no championship that has paved the way to the first-step of GP racing, not even the Indian National Motorcycling Championship.

The FMSCI also announced that India had joined the FIM’s Road to MotoGP programme which hones motorcycling talent between the ages of 10-14. In 2019, Honda Racing India announced the Asia Road Racing Championship, with the intention of paving the way for Indian riding talent making it Moto3.