Alas! The news has come true. The 2024 edition of MotoGP Bharat has been officially pulled off the calendar. Earlier this month, online media reports indicated that Dorna Sports is contemplating on scrapping the 2024 iteration of MotoGP. However, local promoter Fairstreet Sports was quick to refute these reports and condemn them as rumours.
According to a recent PTI report, local promoters of the race have confirmed that the India round of the MotoGP championship will not not take place on the scheduled date of September 20-22. Instead it has been pushed to March 2025.
Previous reports had suggested that Fairstreet had not cleared all its dues with rights holders Dorna and other vendors after the inaugural edition of MotoGP Bharat which was held in September last year which led to uncertainty over the second edition. The PTI report reveals that after a meeting involving all stakeholders on Tuesday— Dorna, Fairstreet, and Uttar Pradesh Government— it was decided to shift the round to a yet to be decided date in March.
However, Fairstreet denied any delay in payments which caused the postponement of the race. “All payments were being made in between and whatever is left will be paid by next month. So that was not really a factor in shifting the race to next year. We also thought of doing it in November but that would have meant four back-to-back races which would have been tough on the teams and the riders,” said Fairstreet Sports CEO Pushkar Nath Srivastava.
Srivastava went on to claim the reason for MotoGP Bharat to be postponed to March is the unconducive weather in September. “ … it is tough on the riders and marshals as experienced last year,” said Srivastava.
MotoGP Bharat postponed to March 2025
The organisers are now looking for a slot in March when the weather is more favourable. The ongoing 2024 season started with the Doha Grand Prix on March 10 and the organisers can slot the India round in the following week. More than 50,000 fans attended the inaugural MotoGP Bharat at the Buddh International Circuit (BIC) in Greater Noida, just enough to fill half of the facility.
Srivastava says that he expects more fans to turn up in March as the weather will be better. Ahead of the 2023 edition, Dorna and Fairstreet had signed a seven year agreement to stage the MotoGP race in India. Uttar Pradesh Government, which was a sponsor last year, has now become a co-promoter raising hopes of a long-term future of the high-profile event.
Will MotoGP face the same fate as Formula One?
Earlier, the BIC played host to Formula One for three seasons from 2011 to 2013 after which the premiere car racing championship got discontinued in India and never returned. Financial backlogs and high taxation were the prime reasons for F1 Bharat to be scrapped from the calendar. We can only hope that MotoGP doesn’t face the same fate as Formula One as it will leave a negative impression on the country’s ability to host international motorsport events.
