There's been a back-and-forth, will-they-won't-they with the Indian round of the MotoGP calendar for the last few months.
It was, originally, not on the calendar. And then, after the Kazakhstani GP was canceled (the first time) it was added. But then, in the 11th hour, the Indian GP at the Buddh Circuit, was also canceled. And now, months later, it's not just back on for next year, but MotoGP says it'll be there for the foreseeable future.
I just have one question. Why?
At the time of the Indian GP's original cancelation, the race organizers said it was just too freakin' hot for the riders to race. And, that's definitely cause for concern, sure, as the temperatures were predicted to be in the 110 to 120 Fahrenheit range. Add leathers, track temps that'd most surely be higher, and grueling racing and you've got a recipe for a lot of riders potentially passing out from heat exhaustion. No one wants that.
The Kazakhstani GP was later re-added in place of it, and then subsequently canceled again. It's been a weird year, folks.
But rumors have swirled around the Indian GP's hosting for months, as while heat was the official cause of its cancelation this year, more blame was aimed at the Indian GP's hosts and executives.
At the time of its cancelation, the Indian GP's organizers stated, "The decision to move the race to March of next year, aiming for the first or second week, was a collective agreement among all stakeholders,” said Fairstreet Sports CEO Pushkar Nath Srivastava in a statement to our sister site, Motorsport. He added, “The unsuitable weather conditions in September posed significant challenges for both riders and marshals, as observed last year. With the support and vision of the government of UP, the race in March will be staged in a grander manner and will aim to set a new standard for excellence in motorsport events.”
However, the reason it was canceled this year that many in the paddock claimed true was that Fairstreet Sports had been in breach of contract, and that it hadn't fulfilled its obligations stemming from last year's event.
Again, from Motorsport, "...in the last few months, there has been uncertainty about the second edition of the Indian Grand Prix, with local reports suggesting that promoter Fairstreet Sports hasn’t paid its dues to certain vendors, including Dorna." Now, Dorna is, for the time being, MotoGP's owner and organizer. Liberty Media, the owners of Formula 1, just bought the series for $4 billion. But if Dorna wasn't getting paid, that'd put a serious wedge between the parties and, based on historical fights between the organizer and other entities, one that Fairstreet Sports was destined to lose.
Yet, it's a weird fight to have to begin with. At least, I think coming from Dorna and what have to be a handful of Liberty Media execs at the table.
India has a massive population, one ripe for the picking in terms of hosting a world-class event. But based on Liberty Media's recent acquisitions, pushes, and progress in making Formula 1 the biggest sport in the world, and reaping the financial benefits of that, pushing this race doesn't really make a lot of sense.
If MotoGP is having trouble getting the cash from Fairstreet Sports, and the weather isn't conducive for a race—so much so, that they're going to rearrange the calendar to accommodate it—why not put your efforts into locales where you don't have such a headache? Why not add a double-header with Formula 1 and make it all that much more simple? Why bother chasing down money when you absolutely don't have to? I mean, I've been a freelancer before. Tracking down your hard-earned cash is a pain.
So again, why bother? I certainly wouldn't. Yet, according to MotoGP, the Indian GP will be on the calendar until 2027. At least, that's what they're saying now. Let's see what happens next year.
