Even the Abu Dhabi Auto Racing League
Amid fresh speculation that the planned second round of the Indian Grand Prix in this year's MotoGP World Championship may not happen, organizers of the event have spoken out to allay rumors that it will be cancelled.
This came less than 24 hours after a report by our website Motorsport.com indicated the possibility of canceling the race and replacing its scheduled date in September with the postponed Kazakhstan Grand Prix.
There have been whispers on the MotoGP circuit in recent weeks that the Indian race may not go ahead, not because of any of the issues that have been lately resolved since last year's first round but because organizers have yet to pay the multiple sums. The €1 million race hosting fee is charged by series promoter Dorna.
This is unlikely to be resolved in the coming weeks – because India is currently in the midst of crucial national elections, the results of which will not be announced until June 4.
With the Uttar Pradesh government – participating in the event – unable to take important political decisions or announcements during the run-up to the vote as per a set of guidelines called the Model Code of Conduct issued by the Election Commission of India to regulate politics. Parties and candidates during the elections, it means that business is currently at a standstill.
Meanwhile, Pushkar Nath Srivastava, CEO of race promoter Fairstreets Sports, spoke out in an attempt to ease concerns, telling Indian news agency PTI that any outstanding issues would be resolved once the elections are held, with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party expected to retain power.
“The race is very much on,” Srivastava insisted. “These are just rumors floating around. All contractual obligations will be fulfilled in June.
Rumors linking Budd's September date with the chance of rescheduling what was scheduled to be Kazakhstan's first appearance on the calendar also comes as a surprise given the state the Sokol circuit is thought to remain in, just a month earlier than scheduled. It was originally intended to be the date of the inaugural Grand Prix.
The track itself is now believed to be finally completed and ready to receive homologation. Instead, The Race's sources believe the outstanding issues relate to other infrastructure issues such as road access, timekeeping and high-speed internet.
Regardless of the timeline for resolving these matters, the idea of Kazakhstan replacing India could be a timely one for MotoGP in terms of putting pressure on the various figures behind the latest race.
