Vroom time: Things to know before inaugural MotoGp in India
MotoGP descends to Greater Noida for the inaugural Indian Grand Prix.
The world’s fastest and most high-profile motorcycle racing championship will stage the 13th round of its 2023 edition in India, just a year after plans for MotoGP Bharat were first announced. The addition of India to the calendar is part of MotoGP’s expansion plans into Asia’s major two-wheeler markets.
It follows on the success of races in Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia. The organisers are banking on India’s emerging middleclass and a growing demand for bikes to gain a foothold in the country.
INDIA’S BIGGEST RACING EVENT
India had seen little in the way of international motorsport since Formula One last ventured into the country in 2013 at the same BIC.
The Asia Road Racing Championship and the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship were the only truly international racing series to visit India in the last decade.
However, in 2023 India is playing host to not one but two major championships, with Formula E holding a race in Hyderabad in February, and MotoGP now coming to the outskirts of Delhi for what will be India’s biggest race since F1. The organisers have inked a seven-year deal to host the race in September 2022.
The original idea was to have the race as early as 2023, but with 2024 a more realistic option for a maiden Indian GP.
However, the stakeholders pressed ahead with the event this year, despite the scale of challenge involved.
TRACK CHANGES
The biggest hurdle that had to be overcome to make the race a reality was concerning the track, as the BIC — designed by renowned German architect Hermann Tilke — was primarily built to host F1. This meant a host of changes had to be made to make it suitable for top level bike racing.
Firstly, the layout of
