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Delhi
In what comes as a sad news for motorsport enthusiasts in the country, MotoGP is set to drop India from the 2024 calendar, replacing it with Kazakhstan GP, according to a report in motorsport.com.
The championship was hosted for the first time at the Buddh International Circuit (BIC) on the outskirts of the capital city of Delhi in September last year, as part of the sport's expansion in South Asia. Though the race was delivered successfully, despite some troubles, the last few months have seemingly dented hopes of MotoGP returning to the subcontinent.
The report states that promoter Fairstreet Sports hasn’t paid its dues to certain vendors, including Dorna - the exclusive commercial rights holder to the MotoGP World Championship., recently bought by Formula One owner Liberty Media.
The high-ranking Dorna officials had set a May 20 deadline for Fairstreet to settle the dues. However, taking the previous delays into account, it appears highly unlikely that the Indian promoter will be able to catch up with the payments.
With India nearly out of the calendar, plans are being chalked up to replace it with the inaugural Kazakhstan Grand Prix on September 20-22.
"Dorna has made several visits to Sokol and also to Almaty, the most populous city in Kazakhstan with the intention of ensuring that all the necessary infrastructures are in place," the report stated.
The series originally had 22 races in the 2024 calendar but the cancellation of the Argentina GP and India GP has brought down to 20.
Previous instances
This is not the first instance when a motorsport event has been cancelled in India. Earlier this year, Formula E announced the cancellation of the Hyderabad E-Prix, alleging a contract breach by the Telangana government. The second Formula E race in India was slated to take place on February 10.
"The cancellation comes following a decision by the Municipal Administration and Urban Development Department (MAUD), under the control of the Government of Telangana, not to fulfil the Host City Agreement signed on 30 October 2023," Formula E said in a statement.
The introduction of MotoGP and Formula E had raised hopes among Indian spectators that Formula 1 would make its long-awaited return to BIC, having staged three Indian Grand Prix between 2011 and 2013. However, given the quick cancellations, it appears unlikely that Liberty Media will take the risk again.
(With inputs from agencies)