Looking for the best seats to watch MotoGP in India? This post offers a guide.
Tickets for MotoGP’s first-ever race in India, the Grand Prix of India, went live on 23rd June, 2023. Soon after, I received tons of messages asking me to recommend best seats for MotoGP in India. So I thought that it would be best to write a post on my blog.
First things first, MotoGP calls the race ‘Grand Prix of India’ but the local promoter is referring to the race as MotoGP Bharat. Let’s hope that the official name gets confirmed closer to date.
Interestingly, the local promoter (Fairstreet Sports) also owns the broadcast rights for MotoGP in India. They have sub-let the rights to JioCinema. The official announcement from MotoGP didn’t confirm the duration of this agreement between JioCinema and Fairstreet Sports but my sources tell me that the rights have been sub-let to JioCinema for three seasons starting 2023.
Best Tickets for MotoGP in India
My recommendations are based on a few factors. First, the circuit map of the Buddh International Circuit and second, how Formula 1 fared across this circuit from 2011-13. Admittedly, Formula 1 and MotoGP are very different when it comes to racing and even more so, overtaking. So I suggest to use the below as a guide.
Here’s the official map released by the local promoter followed by my assessment of which stands offer the best seats to watch MotoGP in India from.
For ease of navigation, the circuit is divided in to four zones – North, South, East and West.
Here’s a stand-by-stand breakdown:
Main Grandstand
As with most circuits, the Main Grandstand is positioned directly opposite the pit lane and the garages of the MotoGP teams. Also, the Main Grandstand stretches long enough to cover large parts of the main straight – this includes the start line, finish line and will have a view of the post-race podium ceremony. If there are pre-race (grid presentations or other forms of entertainment) or post-race (celebrity waving the chequered flag, etc.) ceremonies, the Main Grandstand will have a direct view of these ceremonies.
Understandably, the Main Grandstand is one of the most-premium stands at the Buddh International Circuits. If you are a hardcore MotoGP fan, the experience from the Main Grandstand can be unparalleled – especially when race finishes are oh-so-close in MotoGP.
If you can afford it, the plethora of options in the Main Grandstand are the best seats to watch MotoGP in India from.
Premium Stand North
Along side the Main Grandstand is the Premium Stand North – offering a view of rider braking into Turn 1. This means that the possibility of viewing overtakes from the Premium Stand North is high – and it will be the completion of the overtake in most cases (assuming that the overtaking will commence in parts of the race track covered by the Main Grandstand).
Picnic Stand North
The best description of this stand is ‘lawn seating’. The Picnic Stand North will offer a view of bikes exiting Turn 1 (overtake possibility) and powering themselves to Turn 3 via a fast left at Turn 2. The entry of Turn 3 could be another overtaking opportunity – and one could witness it depending on where you’ve found seating in the Picnic Stand North.
This is most-often one of the cheaper tickets to access the race. It’s also one of the best and cost-effective ways to plan a family outing to watch the MotoGP Grand Prix of India – take a picnic mat, pack some home food and go.
Literally speaking, the best seats to watch MotoGP in India could be your picnic mat!
Classic Stand North
If a rider doesn’t want to get overtaken at the end of the long straight between Turns 3-4, the exit from this corner is crucial. The Classic Stand North offers a view of bikes exiting Turn 3. On the opening lap of MotoGP’s Grand Prix of India, this turn should offer some of the most-exciting moments.
As the official ticketing platform calls it, the Classic Stand North offers a view of the ‘most-aggressive turn on the circuit’.
Star Stand East – 1, 2 and 3
These stands, all located next to each other and around Turn 4, offer a view of the bikes on the fastest part of the circuit (depending on which stand you sit in, of course). The straight that ends at Turn 4, is the longest of the Buddh International Circuit and hence, also the fastest.
While Star Stand East 1 will offer a view of the bikes braking for Turn 4, the Star Stand East 2 will offer a view of them corner. Similarly, the Star Stand East 3 will offer a view of the bikes exiting Turn 4 and darting their way on the short straight to Turn 5. Turn 4 should offer overtaking opportunities under-braking.
For those looking for a safe option, Star Stand East 1 would be my recommendation for the best seats to watch MotoGP in India from.
Classic Stand 2 East
This stand offers a view of the technical and mid-field part of the Buddh International Circuit. A view of the Turns 6-7-8 will be on offer – and these are a slower sequence of corners to tackle. It could be that the riders follow themselves line a stern through this sequence.
Natural Stand South & Picnic Stand South
At the South side of the Buddh International Circuit are these two ‘lawn seating’ stands. The Natural Stand South offers a view of the bikes through Turns 8-9 and lining themselves up at the entry of Turn 10. If Turn 10 offers an overtaking opportunity, it should be visible from Natural Stand South.
As for the Picnic Stand South, a view of Turns 11-12 should be on offer depending on where you sit.
Classic Stand West 1 & 2
The Classic Stand West 1 will offer a view of bikes braking for Turn 13, while the Classic Stand West 2 will offer a view of the bikes exiting Turn 13. These two stands are also in close proximity to the MotoGP Fanzone.
Premium Stand South
Turn 10 – the classic corner of the Buddh International Circuit is the view from the Premium Stand South. I am excited to see how the MotoGP bikes tackle this high-speed sweeping corner. If an overtaking opportunity pops by at Turn 10, it will be a breathtaking one given the speeds and corner angles involved.
Another one to add to my list of best seats to watch MotoGP in India from!
Other Premium Offerings
For those looking for ‘ticket and accommodation’ packages with other premium inclusions (such as meet-greet with riders, etc.), MotoGP has packages available directly on their website. These packages aren’t available on the official ticketing platform contracted by the local promoter.
These packages start from €360 onward and have an option to book accommodation at the Crowne Plaza while purchasing your race tickets and experiences.
MotoGP Fanzone
The Premium stands will have access to the MotoGP Fanzone, however, for the other stand categories, access might be charged extra.
The MotoGP Fanzone should have food-beverage stalls, merchandise stores, entertainment and other experience zones. The experience zones are usually among the best. Normally, fans will have the opportunity to get up and close to the MotoGP bikes, try their hand at the simulators and other MotoGP-themed activities / exercises on offer.
The MotoGP Fanzone is a mix of what the local promoter will put together and how the participating teams and their sponsors ‘activate’ their association with the Grand Prix of India.
Inclusions & Exclusions
Before purchasing your ticket(s), please read the inclusions and exclusions carefully. The premium stands have shade from the sun (September should be okay in Noida, I guess) but the other stands don’t.
All stands will have access to public toilets and other food-beverage stalls. At the moment, all tickets sold are three-day only, but could the local promoter release one-day tickets to boost ticket sales? Also, all tickets will offer Moto2 and Moto3 races live along with MotoGP.
Apart from certain parts of the Main Grandstand, all other stands have free seating – so get there early to get your favoured spot.
Pricing
In my view, the local promoter has priced the tickets for MotoGP in India very competitively. The entry-level price for a 3 day ticket is Rs. 800 – this is commendable. If MotoGP fans in India want to see the Grand Prix of India become a repeat event on the calendar, they need to come out in full support of the event – this includes loosening the purse strings.
A sell-out crowd that has paid for their seats would be the best, of course.