India will host its first MotoGP World Championship, probably next year. Called the ‘Bharat Grand Prix’, the two-wheeler racing event will take place at Buddh International Circuit (BIC), Greater Noida, which is the only FIA Grade 1 racetrack in India. Recently, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between Fairstreet Sports Pvt Ltd and Dorna Sports (the latter owns all the commercial rights for all MotoGP events worldwide) for 7 years to organize MotoGP in our country. The Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) will soon conduct a homologation, and depending on the completion of this process, the first race could be held in 2023 or 2024.
Commenting on this occasion, Carmelo Ezpeleta, the CEO of Dorna Sports, said: “India is a huge country and market, and an especially important one for the two-wheeled industry and MotoGP as a sport. The Championship has a huge fan base there and being able to hold a MotoGP event in India would be both an incredible spectacle for our fans at the same time as allowing us to continue to grow the sport in the region, which is hugely important for our all our partners and the manufacturers in particular given the hundreds of millions of two-wheeled vehicles on its roads. We would love to be able to see this project through and bring these incredible MotoGP bikes to race in front of Indian fans.” He further said, “At MotoGP, we are committed to our fans and aim to make the sport accessible to all, regardless of where they are, who they are, or their economic status. Motorcycles are an incredible tool for transportation and in many areas of the world, they drive society, providing economic mobility and powering families around the world. Racing in India would be a reflection of our commitment to open the doors to the sport as widely as we can, and would be an important achievement for the Championship.”
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As per the reports, Dorna Sports will soon announce a full race weekend in India that will include MotoGP, Moto2, and Moto3 races. India could also host MotoE electric motorcycle racing in the near future, which will be a first in Asia.
Union Sports Minister Shri Anurag Thakur, during the meeting with the Fairstreet Sports team, said: “It’s a historical day for the sporting and automobile industry and a befitting tribute to the Azadi Ka Amrit Maha Utsav celebrations, marking India’s befitting arrival in the global platform of motorsport. India could potentially be one of MotoGP’s biggest markets in terms of viewership as well as revenue.”
