India MotoGP promoter cancels this year's race, eyes March 2025 date

The promoter of the Indian Grand Prix has announced that this year’s MotoGP race has been cancelled and it is now looking at rescheduling the event in March 2025.

Fairstreet Sports, the organiser of the event along with MotoGP rights holder Dorna, revealed on Tuesday that the second edition of the event has now been called off, confirming reports published by Motorsport.com earlier this month.

The Buddh International Circuit, located on the outskirts of capital Delhi, was due to stage the 14th round of the season on 23-25 September.

Dorna's intention is to reschedule the Kazakhstan Grand Prix, which was originally supposed to be held in June but had to be postponed due to severe floods in the region, on the slot held by Indian GP.

Although the statement from Fairstreet didn’t explicitly talk about cancellation, it can be interpreted that the promoter is talking about moving this year’s race to March 2025.

"The decision to move the race to March of next year, aiming for the first or second week, was a collective agreement among all stakeholders,” said Fairstreet Sports CEO Pushkar Nath Srivastava in a statement received by Motorsport.com.

“The unsuitable weather conditions in September posed significant challenges for both riders and marshals, as observed last year. With the support and vision of the government of UP, the race in March will be staged in a grander manner and will aim to set a new standard for excellence in motorsport events.”

Although Fairstreet Sports cited the hot temperatures in Greater Noida during September, Motorsport.com understands the real reason for the cancellation of the 2024 event is financial in nature, with the promoter in breach of contract it signed with Dorna.

The organisation had previously been adamant that the 2024 race will go ahead as planned and that any doubts about the race were primarily due to the ongoing general elections in the country.

Dorna is expected to issue a statement in the coming hours explaining its views on the matter and whether Kazakhstan will be a part of the final 2024 calendar.

If the event at the Sokol International Circuit cannot be moved to September, it is also likely to be cancelled, leaving only 19 rounds in the current season.

VR46 rider Marco Bezzecchi won the inaugural Indian Grand Prix last year on a 2022-spec Ducati.