MotoGP Bharat not in jeopardy, insist event insiders

Representation Pic

A year after the MotoGP India made a spectacular debut at the Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida, there are reports that the second edition of event is in jeopardy due to various reasons. While some reports claim that vendors, including Dorna - the exclusive commercial rights holder to the MotoGP World Championship - have not been paid, others claim that the paperwork for the second edition is not yet in order and that the September 20-22 race could instead be awarded to first-timers Kazhakhstan.

However, sources close to the development have told mid-day that these are just rumours. "Among the biggest stakeholders in MotoGP Bharat is the Uttar Pradesh government and they are very serious about it. However, with the entire nation in election mode, no major decision in the state can be taken till these elections are over. So, everything will fall into place around the first week of June," said a source.

"Last year too there were a series of news reports, claiming uncertainty regarding that the inaugural edition of the MotoGP in India. However, contrary to this, MotoGP Bharat was held amidst huge fanfare." Team VR46's Marco Bezzecchi stormed to victory on his Ducati at MotoGP Bharat 2023. Interestingly, while the UP government had committed R8 crore for the upgradation of the BIC Stadium track last year, that figure has been increased by R2 crore this year. A total of R10 crore has been allocated from the UP state budget for the fiscal year 2024-25 towards marketing and promotion of MotoGP Bharat.