MotoGP Indian GP dropped from the 2024 calendar, will return in March 2025
- The 2024 Grand Prix of India was slated to take place between September 20-22 and has now been pushed to March 2025 instead, effectively making it a part of the next season, and possibly the season opener.
The upcoming MotoGP Indian Grand Prix scheduled to take place in September this year has been dropped from the 2024 calendar. The 2024 Grand Prix of India was slated to take place between September 20-22 and has now been pushed to March 2025 instead, effectively making it a part of the next season. The announcement comes at a time when the premier class motorsport championship’s return to India was plagued with controversies around non-payment of dues.
However, the Indian organisers stated that the decision to push the India round was jointly taken by the MotoGP organisers Dorna, the Uttar Pradesh government and FairStreet Sports. A report by HT states that the decision was taken on Monday, May 27, 2024, and was also made in favour of having cooler temperatures, which would be more favourable for the riders.
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This means that the Indian GP could turn out to be the 2025 MotoGP season opener since the Qatar GP has been pushed back due to its clash with the holy month of Ramadan. Dorna could also decide to move pre-season testing to India at the BIC instead of the Losail International Circuit in Qatar.
"It was mutually decided to shift the race to March next year. We are looking at the first or second week of March," Fairstreet Sports CEO Pushkar Nath Srivastava told PTI. “All the stakeholders including Dorna agreed that the September weather is not conducive for the race and it is tough on the riders and marshals as experienced last year," he added.
The inaugural MotoGP Indian GP was held amidst much fanfare. Despite last-minute visa challenges, the event was a deemed success with the teams and riders happy with the re-paved Buddh International Circuit (BIC). However, the September schedule also meant the riders had to endure the hot temperatures of Delhi-NCR. Race marshals as well as the race winner Francesco Bagnaia fainted due to the hot and humid conditions. The feature race was also shortened by three laps due to the soaring temperatures, while rider Jorge Martin caused last-lap drama after unzipping his riding suit due to dehydration.
The date change will also allow Dorna to re-introduce Kazakhstan GP on the calendar this year, which was indefinitely postponed due to floods in the region. It was originally scheduled to take place in June but could now be moved to the same dates as the Indian GP.
Reports of the Indian GP’s cancellation started earlier this month after speculations surfaced of Dorna wanting to drop the round from the calendar over non-payment of dues. However, the Indian organisers clarified that all the financial obligations would be finalised by June and were pushed back due to the ongoing general elections in the country. The Uttar Pradesh government also stepped in with its investment wing - Invest UP - as a partner. The organisers also hinted at opening ticket windows for the upcoming round by June 14.
Furthermore, FairStreet Sports said that discussions took place about holding the race in September followed by returning to India again in March 2025, which wouldn’t have been viable within a four-month window.
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