Saturday, September 17, 2022

MotoGP likely to make India debut in winter of 2023, promoters promise long future

MotoGP, the pinnacle of two-wheel racing, may arrive in India in the winter of 2023 if all goes according to plan, giving a massive boost to the stagnant motorsport scene in the country.

The master agreement between MotoGP’s commercial rights owner Dorna and Noida-based race promoters Fairstreet Sports is expected to be signed as early as next week.

Dorna MD Carlos Azpeleta and CEO Carmelo Azpeleta will be in the national capital on Wednesday and are expected to make an official announcement at the ‘Grand Prix of India’.

The round is most likely to be held at the Buddh International Circuit, which was once home to the Formula I Indian Grand Prix, which was called off due to financial, tax and bureaucratic constraints.

The FIM homologation of the track will be done only after the agreement is signed between the MotoGP rights owner and the race promoters.

Speaking to PTI, Fairstreet Sports COO Pushkar Nath said he has done his homework for organizing the high-profile race, keeping in mind what went wrong in Formula 1 nine years ago.

“India is the largest two-wheeler market in the world. Everyone has an affinity for bikes. It has aspirational value. MotoGP is one of the most-watched sporting events,” Nath told PTI.

“We have taken all the precautionary measures for the India tour. We have taken all steps to ensure that we can run in India for the long haul. We are looking at a winter round for India next year.”

Akbar Ibrahim, president of the Motorsports Federation of India FMSCI, welcomed the development.

“I mentioned at our AGM recently that talks are on between the two sides and we have been kept in the loop. I’ve also had meetings with race promoters. They know what they’re doing and have a good time. What is needed to pull an event of this scale.

“I hope the master agreement between Dorna and Fairstreet is signed soon and then we can move on to tracking the homologation and organization of the race. Government support will be key here,” Ibrahim said.

About 5000 people work on MotoGP weekends, which includes races in the junior sections Moto 2 and Moto 3. The race will not only put Uttar Pradesh on the global map but is expected to give a boost to tourism.

Nath said the race would not have been possible without the government’s support and he was grateful to both the state and the Center for helping to take the event to India.

“It is like hosting the Commonwealth Games in which 5000 people are working in the race, except the fans and everyone else. The BJP government, both in the state and at the Centre, has been really helpful.

“They also want to promote tourism in India. People will come from Europe and other parts of the world and it will be shown live in 200 countries,” Nath said.

Fairstreet Sports will pay Dorn millions of dollars for the race each year. When Jaypee Group hosted Formula 1, it was not sustainable, but Nath said his company covered the huge costs involved.

“Not only to prepare the race track, the biggest challenge will be to create the infrastructure for the race,” he said.

Apart from taxation, custom clearance emerged as a major issue during the Formula 1 days and the stakeholders concerned cannot afford to go wrong on this front again.

Former FMSCI president Vicky Chandhok, who was at the helm when Formula 1 arrived in India, said that seamless entry of equipment is essential for the success of the event.

“The arrival of the equipment should be seamless. If that happens, the word will spread that India has changed and it has become possible to hold races here, so it could also lead to the return of Formula 1. It is a huge market day. The end of NASCAR may also be coming.

“We have already hosted the Asian Road Racing Championship. So MotoGP should be the next step,” he said.

The all-electric Formula E race is also coming to Hyderabad next February and if MotoGP can go ahead as planned, Indian motorsport will finally get what it has been eagerly waiting for.

Originally published at Pen 18

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