Will there ever be Indian riders in Moto Gp?

2011 saw the first ever Indian Grand Prix, and though there were speculations and talks abound, it was a roaring success, that was pulled off without a hitch, and it has also made the world sit up and take notice of India and immense resources she has. As Mr Askari Zaidi, senior vice-president, corporate communications, Jaypee Sports International (JPSI), said after the event, “The successful completion of the Indian Grand Prix has put India and Jaypee Group on the global map” , and not only did it draw the attention of corporates but also International Motor Sports. There are talks abound that IMS, impressed by the Buddh International Circuit, Noida, plans on bringing the MotoGP, world’s premier motorcycling sport, to India. The next year is jam packed for the MotoGp, with many races to be held all over the world but there are talks of including Noida and Abu Dhabi in the list.

Though, as the world gets ready to give India its chance to shine, one is left, but to wonder, as to why there are no Indian riders on the MotoGp team, though one cannot simply categorise here, as even the Indian F1 team seems to be lacking an Indian Driver. This also leads to the question that if Indian teams themselves aren’t ready to give Indian drivers and riders a chance, then what how can they be expected to get a chance outside. In recent years, racing sports like F1 and MotoGP have been fast gaining popularity, specifically in metropolitan areas, where there are many auto shops that specialise in modification and refitting of cars and bikes, to make them fit for racing.

Mahindra Racing, the only Indian MotoGP team, have had a very eventful debut year, moving up to a higher category, with a third place finish at the constructors championship, debuting with German Marcel Schrotter and British Daniel Webb. As the Team Principal of Mahindra Racing said, on the team performance this year, “It was a satisfying year. We set modest targets keeping in mind that we were making our debut against some of the heavy weights. We wanted one of our riders (Schrotter) to finish among the top-15. As a team we also wanted to stay ahead of the non-Aprilia teams, especially Honda, in the constructors’ championship and we finished a creditable third. Overall, it was a satisfying season for us. The pole position of Danny (in the last race in Valencia) was the icing on the cake.” Though when asked about the addition of riders he had to say, “Well we hope so since we are an Indian team. But realistically it is very tough. We don’t want to expose a raw Indian driver. To be very frank the difference is too huge. But I hope to see an India rider coming up in the foreseeable future”, they believe that Indian riders are not experienced enough to become world class riders, and that there is a long time, before they could come up to par.