NEW DELHI: The India round of the MotoGP championship will not take place on the scheduled date in September and has instead been moved to March 2025, local promoters of the race said on Tuesday.
Reports have claimed that the race promoters had not paid all their dues with rights holder Dorna after the inaugural round last year, creating uncertainty over the second edition to be held on September 20-22.
However, after a meeting on Tuesday involving all stakeholders – Dorna, and co-promoters FairStreet Sports and the Uttar Pradesh government – it was decided to shift the round to a yet-to-be-determined date in March.
“It was mutually decided that the race be shifted to March next year. We are looking at the first or second week of March.All stakeholders, including Dorna, agreed that the September weather is not conducive to racing and makes it difficult for riders and marshals to race. As was experienced last year,” said Pushpa Nath Srivastava, CEO, FairStreet Sports.
Asked if the postponement of the race had anything to do with unpaid dues, Srivastava replied in a categorical "no".
"All the payments were being made in the middle and whatever is left will be paid next month. So it was not really a factor in moving the race to next year.We also thought about doing it in November but that would have meant a back-to-back race which would have been tough for the teams and riders, Srivastava said.
More than 50,000 fans came to the Buddh International Circuit during the inaugural race, enough to fill half of the facility.
“We also hope that more fans will come in March as the weather will be better,” Srivastava said.
The current season began on March 10 in Doha and organizers are likely to hold India in the next week.,
Ahead of the 2023 edition, Dorna and local promoters had signed a seven-year agreement to organize the race in India.
The Uttar Pradesh government, which was the sponsor last year, has now become a co-promoter, raising hopes for the long-term future of this high-profile event.
The 2023 MotoGP round in India, won by Marco Bezzecchi, was the biggest motorsports event held in the country since the last Formula 1 race in 2013. Formula 1 could only run for three years in India due to finance and taxation issues.
Reports have claimed that the race promoters had not paid all their dues with rights holder Dorna after the inaugural round last year, creating uncertainty over the second edition to be held on September 20-22.
However, after a meeting on Tuesday involving all stakeholders – Dorna, and co-promoters FairStreet Sports and the Uttar Pradesh government – it was decided to shift the round to a yet-to-be-determined date in March.
“It was mutually decided that the race be shifted to March next year. We are looking at the first or second week of March.All stakeholders, including Dorna, agreed that the September weather is not conducive to racing and makes it difficult for riders and marshals to race. As was experienced last year,” said Pushpa Nath Srivastava, CEO, FairStreet Sports.
Asked if the postponement of the race had anything to do with unpaid dues, Srivastava replied in a categorical "no".
"All the payments were being made in the middle and whatever is left will be paid next month. So it was not really a factor in moving the race to next year.We also thought about doing it in November but that would have meant a back-to-back race which would have been tough for the teams and riders, Srivastava said.
More than 50,000 fans came to the Buddh International Circuit during the inaugural race, enough to fill half of the facility.
“We also hope that more fans will come in March as the weather will be better,” Srivastava said.
The current season began on March 10 in Doha and organizers are likely to hold India in the next week.,
Ahead of the 2023 edition, Dorna and local promoters had signed a seven-year agreement to organize the race in India.
The Uttar Pradesh government, which was the sponsor last year, has now become a co-promoter, raising hopes for the long-term future of this high-profile event.
The 2023 MotoGP round in India, won by Marco Bezzecchi, was the biggest motorsports event held in the country since the last Formula 1 race in 2013. Formula 1 could only run for three years in India due to finance and taxation issues.
