Indian supercross league to make debut on Sunday

The Indian Supercross Racing League will put dirt bike racing in centrestage with the first event being held in Pune on Sunday

Supercross has forever been the bridesmaid to major motorsport events. While formula racing or rallying hog the limelight on Sunday afternoons, supercross is used as an entertainment gig often filling the breaks between two races.

For the first time, supercross will shed its support act when the Indian Supercross Racing League (ISRL) makes its debut at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex here on Sunday.

For the first time, supercross will shed its support act when the Indian Supercross Racing League (ISRL) makes its debut at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex here on Sunday. The Balewadi Stadium has been given a makeover with dirt tracks filling up the venue which will be reverberating with the sound of 450cc engines with the smell of gasoline in the air.

Supercross is a variant of motocross which involves off-road motorcyclists riding on dirt tracks consisting of steep jumps and obstacles built inside a stadium. Compared to motocross, supercross tracks have shorter straights and tighter turns.

Accredited by the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI), ISRL will have six teams with eight riders each. There will be two riders in each of the four categories -- 450cc international, 250cc international, 250cc India-Asia mix and 85cc junior India-Asia mix.

The world’s first franchise based supercross league held its rider auction here this month. A total of 104 riders, 73 international and 31 Indian, had registered. The cumulative auction kitty for the first season touched ₹6 crore.

Some of those picked are decorated riders in the world of supercross. Matt Moss is a nine-time Australian MX and SX champion, Lorenzo Camporese is a four-time Italian supercross champion while Anthony Raynard is a four-times South African champion. The most prominent Indian name is three-time national champion Rugved Barguje.

The six teams are Panchshil Racing, BigRock Motorsports, Gujarat Trailblazers, Reise Motorsports, SG Speed Racers and Mohite’s Racing Team. Dakar Rally rider CS Santosh is the co-owner of BigRock while rally ace Gaurav Gill is part owner of Trailblazers.

"The launch of CEAT ISRL is a watershed moment for all of us in the motocross community. India has tremendous potential and talent in this arena and I'm confident the league has the tenacity to present a platform for all budding racers who will show the world their talent, skills and endurance. ISRL will be the IPL for motocross, I can’t wait to see the first season get underway,” said Santosh, a multiple-time national supercross and motocross champion.

Like Santosh, off-road enthusiasts take up motocross or supercross before progressing to endurance-based rallying. Harith Noah, who last week achieved the best finish by an Indian at the Dakar Rally by coming 11th, is also a multiple time national supercross champion.

SXI is the parent company of ISRL, which is the brainchild of former international racers Eeshan Lokhande, Veer Patel, and Aashwin Lokhande.

“The federation is overwhelmed with the thought process and the initiative undertaken by SXI team in elevating the motorsport culture in India. It will not only bring global talent to the country but also provide a platform to nurture young talent and position India on the global map of the sport," FMSCI president Akbar Ebrahim said.

After Pune, the next two legs will be held at Ahmedabad (Feb 11) and New Delhi (Feb 25).