India is a big market for MotoGP, says Dorna CEO Ezpeleta

Bengaluru, September 22: As talks are underway in order to bring MotoGP into the Indian sub-continent in the near future, Carmelo Ezpeleta, the CEO of Dorna Sports, who holds the commercial rights of the world's premier two-wheeled motorsport believes the country has a good market for the sport.

It is worth mentioning that Dorna Sports have started discussions with Indian promoter Fairstreet Sports (FSS) on the possibility of hosting a future Indian Grand Prix, probably next year at the Buddh International Circuit, which has hosted Formula 1 Grand Prix in the past.

If 2023 does not work out, both parties aim to conduct a testing event the same year before the inaugural round in 2024.

MotoGP comes to India: Know All About Grand Prix of Bharat in 2023 at Buddh Circuit MotoGP comes to India: Know All About Grand Prix of Bharat in 2023 at Buddh Circuit

With Dorna set to announce the calendar for the 2023 MotoGP World Championship soon, Ezpeleta said he was confident of India joining the FIM calendar, sooner or later.

Ecclestone of MotoGP!

Ezpeleta is to MotoGP what Bernie Ecclestone was once to F1 and the Spaniard was upbeat when it came to the topic of bringing MotoGP to India.

"India is a huge country and market, and an especially important one for the two-wheeled industry and MotoGP as a sport. The FIM MotoGP World Championship has a huge fan base there," Ezpeleta was quoted as saying by the official broadcaster.

Grand Prix of Bharat

The Spaniard recently visited India to meet with authorities and event promoter FSS after signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

The visit began at the spectacular Buddh International Circuit, right outside the central capital of the country, which would be the target venue to host the possible MotoGP event. Thereafter, the delegation also travelled to Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh, the region in which the circuit is located, to meet with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Industrial Development Minister Nand Gopal Gupta.

Incredible India

"At MotoGP we're committed to our fans and aim to make the sport accessible to all, regardless of where they're, who they're or their economic status. Motorcycles are an incredible tool for transportation and in many areas of the world they drive society, providing economic mobility and powering families around the world.

"Racing in India would be a reflection of our commitment to open the doors to the sport as widely as we can, and would be and an important achievement for the FIM MotoGP World Championship," he added.

Biggest market

During his India visit, Ezpeleta also held talks with FSS Racing Director Amit Shandill and FSS COO Pushkar Nath Srivastava.

Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur, during the meeting with FSS team shared Ezpeleta's views: "It's a historical day for the sporting and automobile industry and a befitting tribute to the Azadai Ka Amrit Maha Utsav celebrations, marking India's befitting arrival in the global platform of motorsport. India could potentially be one of MotoGP's biggest markets in terms of viewership as well as revenue."