Fast bikes, wild rides, brave guys: here’s the MotoGP cheatsheet Premium

India’s MotoGP debut: In 2011, India hosted F1; this weekend, the inaugural MotoGP Grand Prix of India takes place. The premier two-wheeler championship is sanctioned by FIM, with Dorna Sports as commercial rights holder. MotoGP bikes are bespoke machines, with 11 teams fielding two riders each. Practice sessions on Fri, qualifying on Sat, race on Sun. Track modified for MotoGP, with resurfacing, reduced asphalt run-off, increased gravel, air fences, foam barriers. Big challenge to hold event, with many personnel, riders, journalists facing visa issues.

In 2011, India announced itself on the world motorsport stage when it hosted the Formula One Indian Grand Prix, the pinnacle of four-wheeler racing.

Ten years since the last F1 race in 2013, the Buddh International Circuit is set to host the premier championship for two-wheelers this weekend: the inaugural MotoGP Grand Prix of India.

The Hindu gives you the lowdown on everything you need to know about the sport and what to expect this weekend.

Although the term ‘MotoGP’ is relatively new — it was coined only in 2002 — it refers more generally to the Grand Prix motorcycling championship. The history of the series goes back several decades. The first world championship was held in 1949, a year before the F1 championship started. Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM), the governing body for two-wheeler racing, sanctions the championship. Dorna Sports is the commercial rights holder.

In that first year, there were four classes of bikes, based on engine capacity: 125cc, 250cc, 350cc and 500cc. Since then, there have been 50cc and 80cc classes at the lower levels, while the 500cc was the premier class and the precursor to the current MotoGP. There was also a 750cc class in the 1970s for a brief while.

In 2002, the premier class became MotoGP, with 990cc four-stroke bikes. The machines became smaller between 2007 and 2011, down to 800cc, before changing to 1000cc in 2012, which continues to date.

Alongside MotoGP, every weekend also sees racing at the lower levels in Moto2 (765cc) and Moto3 categories (250cc), much like Formula 2 and Formula 3. This year, a new MotoE category for electric bikes, which had begun in 2019, got championship status.