The sporting event in Noida not only had the who's who attending and participating, but it also positively impacted the local economy. The organisers wish to use it as a tool to spread awareness about road safety and promote local industries
Repsol Honda's Spanish rider Marc Marquez (R) and India's former cricket player Suresh Raina ride on a motorbike ahead of the Indian MotoGP Grand Prix at the Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida on the outskirts of New Delhi, on September 21, 2023.
Image: Money Sharma / AFP
Noida was abuzz with thrill and excitement a few weeks ago. It had former India cricketer Suresh Raina play cricket and ride a bike with six-time world champion Marc Marquez, current world champion Francesco "Pecco" Bagnaia talk Bollywood with Ranveer Singh, and fans chasing Yuvraj Singh and John Abraham around the paddock in their favourite MotoGP team jerseys. Even Sadhguru couldn’t stop himself from doing a lap at the Buddha International Circuit.
From September 21 to 24, India hosted its first ever MotoGP race in Noida. It had previously hosted F1 races from 2011 to 2013. MotoGP parked its massive entourage in Noida—the city of skyscrapers, neon lights and withering heat—making it a breakthrough moment for motorsports that has long struggled to crack the Indian market.
“For us, the motorcycling industry is extremely important in India and the motorcycle fans as well. We have been working hard since a year ago. The first time we visited India to organise MotoGP was almost a year ago… we stopped in Delhi and started to talk with the government of Uttar Pradesh to make this happen. The drivers were happy with the layout of the circuit. Lots of people turned up for the race and our aim is to stay in India for many years,” says Carlos Ezpeleta, CEO of Dorna, the commercial rights' holder for the motorcycling sport of Grand Prix racing.
FIM [the international federation for two-wheeler motorsport events] conveyed its specific set of requirements regarding the infrastructure and track modifications to the Buddha International Circuit. For instance, the banking curbs and gravel zones had to be re-laid and extended to ensure they comply with FIM prerequisites; the overlaying of bitumen and other chemical compounds to renew the track was done by the global race technicians authorised by FIM. The challenging part for all the teams was to start from scratch in the absence of any prior experience or data of the circuit layout.
Paolo Ciabatti, sporting director of Ducati Corse, was full of praise for India and the circuit: “It was challenging for all our riders, but India is a country we all were aiming to come to and all of us had a fantastic experience. We are super proud of this achievement of MotoGP, and enjoyed the circuit with a unique layout. The lap times were incredibly fast… we saw some great racing and it was a good show for the first Indian Grand Prix.”