UP Government Keen To Bring Back MotoGP To India, Signs MoU With Ex-Racer

In what can be labelled as a positive step in the pursuit of getting MotoGP back to India, former MotoGP rider Karel Abraham and his motorsport events and advisory company AVW Global has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Uttar Pradesh’s State Transformation Commission. As part of this MoU, AVW Global will work in close partnership with the Government of Uttar Pradesh to facilitate the hosting of premier international motorsport events such as MotoGP and the Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC). To give our readers a recap, the first and sadly, the only MotoGP race in our country labeled the “Bharat GP” was held in 2023 and was won by Italian rider Marco Bezzecchi. 

Manoj Kumar Singh, CEO, State Transformation Commission, Government of Uttar Pradesh, said, “AVW Global will help Uttar Pradesh bring motorcycle racing back to India in a truly professional manner. Fans in the state and across the country are eager to witness these iconic machines on track again. Uttar Pradesh is committed to enabling a cohesive ecosystem for motorsport and youth development. High-octane racing is coming to the state very soon. We are determined to utilise the Buddh International Circuit- a world-class racing facility- to its fullest potential and build a sustainable ecosystem around it. “

Will MotoGP Return To India?

The reason for the UP Government to be involved with this new signing is that it wants to promote the state as the "Motorsport Capital” and it makes sense as it has the best race track in our country - the Buddh International Circuit (BIC). The state had received a lot of positive media for hosting the MotoGP but it also received equal amount of flack when the Indian round was dropped from the 2024 calendar. While the official reason given was “weather condition concerns for the riders” for the delay, it was later found out that Fairstreet Sports, the agency which negotiated with Dorna to host the Bharat GP hadn’t paid the pending dues. 

AVW Global can be seen as the possible replacement for Fairstreet Sports and given that Karel Abraham is himself an ex-MotoGP racer and the fact that he understands the business side of hosting a race, the possibility of a race happening in India does look good. Another aspect is Liberty Media, the current owner of MotoGP, which will be keen to tap into the largest two-wheeler market in the world. So as you can see with the Government showing keen interest and an ex-racer at helm, things do look positive, but the MotoGP circus could return to India by 2027 at the earliest. 

The ARRC Connection

Apart from MotoGP, the press release also stated that it plans to host the Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC) round at the BIC race track. ARRC is among the best platforms for budding racers across Asia and the above makes great sense in the Indian context as TVS Racing and Honda India are part of the championship. With a round being hosted in India, two-wheeler motorsports could receive a massive boost and also will be positive news for budding Indian racers. According to Ron Hogg, Promotions Director, Two Wheels Motor Racing, the Indian round of ARRC could be held as early as July-August, 2026. 

Adani Impact

Recently, Karan Adani, managing director of Adani Ports and SEZ Ltd had commented that being a huge F1 aficionado, he personally plans to bring back the pinnacle of motorsports back to our country. The Adani group is in the process of acquiring the assets of the Jaiprakash Associates Ltd (JAL), and in this process will also get ownership of the BIC race track. The fact that Liberty Media also owns the rights to both Formula One and MotoGP, the return of flagship motorsports back to India looks very feasible. The upcoming Jewar Airport in Noida is also very close to the airport and the Adani Group will be banking on motorsports activity at BIC to push its personal businesses in the surrounding areas in the future.