MotoGP has announced that India will host another Grand Prix race at the Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida. The Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM), International Road-Racing Teams Association (IRTA) and Dorna Sports, the official MotoGP management company have confirmed that India will be one of the locations for hosting the 2026 FIM MotoGP races.

Although these races were supposed to be held in 2025, they were pushed back to 2026 due to technical and operational difficulties. The brand also mentioned that the collaboration with InvestUP will continue. MotoGP and InvestUP are working towards bringing the Indian Grand Prix to fruition and highlighting India as a destination for global sporting events.

Brief history of MotoGP in India

Indian enthusiasts began to show interest in MotoGP right after the Formula 1 race was held at the then-newly built Buddh International Circuit (BIC) in Greater Noida from 2011 to 2013. The BIC was seen as the only suitable track for very high-speed international motorsport events in India.

Even though there was initial interest, there were many challenges such as political hurdles, tax issues and lack of infrastructure which delayed MotoGP in India for over a decade.

The first-ever Indian Grand Prix was officially announced in 2022. MotoGP said it would be coming to India, with the race scheduled at the Buddh International Circuit in 2023.

Finally, the thirteenth race of MotoGP 2023 was held on 24 September in India with free practice sessions on 22nd and 23rd September. This made way for the Grand Prix in India, officially called ‘MotoGP Bharat’. 

This race was the first time that a MotoGP race was held in India marking it as a historic event that India hosted one of the premier motorcycle racing championships. It was challenging for the BIC as well, since they had to make several modifications to meet MotoGP standards, including safety barriers and track layout adjustments.

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