“MotoGP Bharat race is the biggest motorcycling spectacle to happen in the history of motorcycling sports in India”

India is ready to witness an adrenaline-fueled extravaganza like never before as it gears up to host its inaugural MotoGP event. iSportConnect’s Taruka Srivastav spoke with Pushkar Nath Srivastav, Founder of Fairstreet Sports which is organising the MotoGP Bharat to know more.

How was India chosen as the host country?

India is the world’s largest motorcycle market, with 18 Million plus bikes sold annually growing at a healthy pace of 13%. Even though the belly of the market is the lower cc segment the pace of growth for the higher cc bikes is on the rise with a currently growing percentage of 6% bikes in the > 250CC segment. Interestingly the market size of premium bikes is pegged at a whopping 45K Crores which means that the mindset for premium motorcycles is growing.

India being one of the youngest countries in the world with a median age of under 35 means that motorcycling as a culture is widely accepted and projected to be a form of lifestyle for a majority as well. In short the timing for the India GP couldn’t have been better because India is poised to transform as a motorcycling epicentre and building a race IP will only mean that a strong road for the future is paved by imbibing the culture of premium bike racing and motor sports.

How are the preparations going?

The preparations are going on a grand scale to say the least. As it is a global race there are strict guidelines and SOP’s which have to be adhered to as there is no room for error or sub optimal approaches. To briefly share about our preparations, the Buddh International Circuit which is a global renowned name, is going through a complete overhaul with multiple international teams deployed on track and the circuit, other backend teams from various functions have also been engaged to create an experience which goes much beyond the race.

What is the kind of agreement that India has with Dorna Sports?

Fairstreet Sports, has received the promoter rights and the commercial licence in collaboration with FMSCI, to hold MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3 races in India for 7 years, from 2023 onwards.

The Buddha International Circuit was originally built to organise F1 racing. What are the changes that were made on the track?

The fundamentals of a racing track remain the same, though FIM (the international federation for two-wheeler motorsport events) had a specific set of requirements with regards to the infrastructure and track modifications which had to be made. For instance, the banking curbs and gravel zones had to be re-laid and extended to ensure they comply to the FIM perquisites, other than that the overlaying of the bitumen and other chemical compounds to renew the track has been done by the global race technicians authorised by FIM. Overall, the track is race ready and the final touches are being carried out and a world class tarmac is all set to experience one of the best racing events this country has ever experienced.

How many people are expected to attend MotoGP live?

The MotoGP Bharat race is the biggest motorcycling spectacle to happen in the history of motorcycling sports in the country with over 250,000 spectators watching the race live, over the 3 day event. But what makes this event an even bigger attraction is that the weekend will see unlimited excitement and engagement making BIC a sought-after destination which will see a diverse range of audience from all across the country to have an experience of a lifetime with experiential Fan zones, Sunburn Festival and Food Festival that are planned for the weekend. In terms of crowd management, the UP Government has deployed a special task force from various departments which include local authorities, the Gautam Buddh Nagar Police and Fire Department to name a few which are geared up to make this event a smooth and memorable experience.

How many jobs do you expect to generate thanks to this event?

The number of employment opportunities, through the preparation and execution of this event, is expected to be more than 5,000.