Formula one setting India as International racing Stage

Click to find out more

Close on the heels of Formula One making its debut in India this October, another motorsport biggie is eyeing for a pit-stop in New Delhi.

Moto GP (world motorbike championship) organizers are keenly watching the events unfold in Delhi and with an Indian team, Mahindra Racing, having already made its debut in the 125cc category, bike enthusiasts in the country could have a lot to cheer for in the near future.

"We definitely want to come to India," declared Manuel Arroyo, managing director of Dorna Sports, who are the event mangers of Moto GP. "We are in the first stage of talks and if India, which is hosting the F1 race in October, manages to fulfill the conditions (for staging a Moto GP), then a Moto GP in Delhi is not far off," he told TOI on Sunday.

The 51-year-old Spaniard is unperturbed that the sport has not much of a following in India. He is banking on the increasing number of bike users in the country and the entry of Mahindra Racing for the event to take root. "The Indian team's presence will go a big way in getting the knowledge of the sport to India," he added. "The objective is to make it a worldwide event."

Currently, 18 races are held annually in 13 countries. A new destination in Texas will be added to the calendar in 2013 while new venues in Abu Dhabi, Brazil and Argentina are also on the anvil. "We may increase it to 19 races but the plan to seal it at 18," he says.