A problem processing some visas needed to enter India has prevented some members of the MotoGP paddock from boarding scheduled flights. One of the most striking cases is that of the driver Marc Marquez, who in a post on social media declared that his trip was “delayed due to the lack of a visa”.
India will host its first MotoGP race at the Buddh International Circuit on the outskirts of Delhi next weekend, but the run-up to the Grand Prix has been plagued by visa and customs clearance problems.
The processing of these documents, essential for entry into the country, has mostly been entrusted to local agencies specialized in these procedures. However, some teams, including Honda and KTM, faced delays in obtaining documents, forcing them to change flights.
Ducati, Aprilia and Yamaha in MotoGP have not had this problem, although many of those affected are Moto3 and Moto2 teams with fewer resources to deal with such eventualities. The teams’ association, IRTA, has already told the teams that they will pay the costs of these flight changes, but this will not be the case for sponsors, external staff and the media, who will have to pay for someone else’s mistake .
In addition to Marquez and Joan Mir, members of the Honda team only received visas to enter India on Tuesday afternoon, 24 hours after the day they were supposed to leave.
Following pressure from the teams and the media, the local promoter of the Grand Prix, the Indian company Fairstreet Sports, released a statement on Tuesday afternoon to try to clarify the situation.
“We have been informed of the delays in the visa issuing process. We would like to share that we have worked tirelessly to resolve the issue as best we can. Nearly 500 visas have been issued and many of them will be issued shortly,” explains the note, while the most documents for access to the country should be issued by Tuesday.
“The specialized teams (in processing these documents) are doing their best to ensure that all visas for drivers, teams and technical officials are issued as soon as possible. This incident was unexpected and we are doing everything necessary to resolve it immediately.”
Dorna and IRTA staff on site are organizing an alternative plan in the event that some of the staff needed to hold the Grand Prix cannot arrive on time, including canceling Friday and condensing the Grand Prix onto Saturdays is Sunday.
“We understand the importance of a smooth experience for all participants and spectators and encourage everyone to be patient and cooperative with us and the (vising) teams,” added the Fairstreet Sports statement, before thank the authorities for the help received.
“We are immensely grateful to the Government of India, MEA, MHA and Government of UP for their continuous support and coordination. We are confident that all pending visas will be processed and all personnel required for the tender will arrive in India in time, safe and sound,” Fairstreet said.
This is not the first time that a major international race in India has been hit by travel-related issues. Several members of the Formula 1 paddock experienced similar delays when the Buddh International Circuit was part of the calendar between 2011 and 2013, but the Formula E event in Hyderabad ran smoothly and without similar bureaucratic hurdles at the start of February.
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