Last year, MotoGP went to the Buddh International Circuit near Delhi in India for the first time, which was a big deal because it showed the championship was growing in South Asia. The race went well even though there were some problems before it, like visa issues.
But now, there’s uncertainty about having another race in India this year. There are reports saying that the company in charge of organizing the race, Fairstreet Sports, hasn’t paid some of the people they owe money to, including Dorna, the company that runs MotoGP.
Dorna gave Fairstreet Sports until May 20th to pay what they owe, but it looks like they won’t be able to do it in time.
So, it’s pretty much confirmed that there won’t be a race in India this year. Instead, MotoGP will have its first race in Kazakhstan from September 20th to 22nd.
Earlier, MotoGP had to cancel the race in Kazakhstan because of flooding, but now they’ve found a new date for it.
At first, people weren’t sure how MotoGP would fit the Kazakhstan race into its busy schedule, because there are already 11 races planned for the second half of the year from August to November.
But now, with the India race not happening, there’s space for the Kazakhstan race to kick off three races in a row, followed by races in Indonesia and Japan.
Dorna, the company behind MotoGP, has been checking out the race track in Kazakhstan to make sure everything’s ready. They’ve also been looking at the city where the race will happen, Almaty. Everything seems good, except the track is a bit far from where most people will stay.
Even though it’s pretty certain there won’t be a race in India, MotoGP has to wait until May 20th to make an official announcement, just in case Fairstreet Sports manages to pay up.
So, for now, the 2024 MotoGP calendar will have 20 races, which is the same as last year. They had planned for 22 races originally, but with Argentina’s race getting canceled and now India’s, they’re back to 20 races. Argentina’s race was canceled because the government there cut spending.
