Post the flamboyant and top notch execution of the Indian Formula One race, the pinnacle motorcycle road-racing championship in the world, MotoGP, is all set to grace the Indian shores in 2013. History will be made when the premier motorcycle racing series visits the Indian sub-continent for the first time in the sport’s glorious 63 year old past, bringing with it display of speed, thrill and skill as the fastest men on the fastest motorcycles battle it out at the world class Buddh International Circuit. The year 2011 opened the eyes of international motorsport organization to sit up and take notice of India as a motorsport destination of the future, thanks to the exemplary organization and smooth operation of the Formula One race at the Buddh international circuit (BIC). Factor in the reaction of the crowd, teams and sponsors echoing positive sentiments about the flawless execution of the F1 race and the drivers raving about the quality of the track is enough to confirm the potential of the Indian circuit on holding world class motorsport events of varying disciplines. And backed by excellent spectator turnout amounting to over a lakh of fans showing up for the first ever Indian Formula One Grand Prix, it has instantly placed the country onto the radar of the global motorsport governing bodies.

Even the international car and motorcycle manufacturers have shown keen interest in the Indian circuit and its potential to hold world class events to showcase their products. For instance, recently Yamaha’s MotoGP factory rider Jorge Lorenzo visited the Indian circuit to promote Yamaha India’s products during which the Yamaha Racing Team’s top boss, Lin Jarvis, after seeing the Indian circuit was vocal about the possibility of MotoGP coming to India in near future as a vital move for the factories to promote their road-going models in the burgeoning Asian two-wheeler market, mainly India and Indonesia. Rightfully then, the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM), the global sanctioning body of motorcycle racing, which has been in talks over the past year with BIC officials to hold India’s first MotoGP race has officially declared that India will host the opening race of the 2013 MotoGP season at the race-track located in Greater Noida.

The decision to hold the opening round of next year’s MotoGP season in India comes directly from Carmelo Ezpelata, the head of MotoGP organising body, Dorna, who insisted that the MotoGP racing season should start earlier from next year in the month of March than its present opening in April. Supporting this decision is the fact that the temperatures in Delhi would be conducive in March for a promising crowd turnout as well as it would be easier for the MotoGP circus to move to Qatar for the second round. Couple that to the shuffle in the MotoGP calendar next year with Estoril mostly being eliminated from the calendar and the Indian MotoGP taking its place. It is also said that the Portimao circuit could also be added to next year’s MotoGP calendar. So it is not just the machines and the men riding them which are undergoing a sea change in the MotoGP world but also newer venues and emerging markets which were largely untapped by the motorcycle racing community. And while we are speaking about two-wheeler racing, let us not forget the fact that even World Superbike Championship (WSB) is also considering holding one round at the BIC. Maurizio Flammini of Infront Motorsport, organisers of WSB series, last year clearly stated that India is certainly on the agenda of World Superbike Championship and it will soon be added to the calendar.

With MotoGP already confirming its arrival from next season, it is only a matter of time till WSB follows suit to India. While the top two international motorcycle racing championships are queuing up for their Indian debut, honour for the first world championship of any kind to ever grace the Indian soil dates back to 1988-1989, when the Pune Automotive Racing Association (PARA) organised the country’s first ever world championship, the Rodil Trophy World Supercross Championship at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Pune. With motorcycle motorsport in the country riding on an all time high since the glory days of the sixties and seventies, the bikers in the country today can start saving and planning their holidays for India’s first ever MotoGP race that will take place in March next year! And while you are at it, remember this year all the MotoGP contracts are about to be renewed and the MotoGP musical chairs will play an important role in next year’s season with some new and promising young riders, the likes of Marc Marquez and Andrea Iannone possibly making the cut for the 2013 MotoGP rider line-up. And ofcourse, while we are on the finishing-line we must not forget that there is our very own Mahindra Racing floating a team in the Moto3 class in MotoGP and it will be indeed a moment of national pride as India makes an arrival onto the global two-wheeler motorsport arena. Gentlemen, start your engines!