MotoGP, An Indian Grand Prix full of problems now faces chaos with visas

It had been known for some time that the trip to India for the world championship round was never going to be a walk in the park. With problems at customs and with the tax authorities (the riders have even been asked to pay part of the taxes for their salary), a circuit still awaiting FIM homologation (it should arrive on Thursday, the day before the bikes enter the track) and other assorted unforeseen events, the round at the Buddh Circuit is proving to be a real ordeal for the teams.

As was to be expected, complications are the order of the day and the latest concerns entry visas. Dorna, the organizer of the championship, has an agreement with the local authorities to simplify these formalities, but the results have not gone the way it was hoped.

Speedweek contacted some team managers who revealed a situation that is not at all reassuring. Aki Ajo, head of two of the most important Moto3 and Moto2 teams, said: “we are still waiting for some visas. Some team members were unable to travel on their originally booked flights."

This is not the only case, because Peter Oettl had not yet received the documents 6 hours before departure. Jens Hainbach, vice president of racing for the Pierer Mobility Group (i.e., the KTM, GasGas and Husqvarna brands), made it known that: "none of us have an electronic visa yet and there are 50 of us leaving tomorrow".

It’s a disaster waiting to happen, with the local agency not being able to manage all the visa requests for the world championship professionals (we are talking about around 2,000 people expected in the paddock). “We have to issue all the visas by hand, one by one” is the indiscretion collected by Speedweek.

India is a very important country for the motorcycle market, but organizing a Grand Prix is proving to be a complicated undertaking.

There are only a few days left until its debut on the calendar and the doubts still outweigh the certainties.