Indian Supercross Racing League Is A Go! Here’s What You Need to Know

As the 2023 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) wound down, there was another huge announcement at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi. The Ceat Indian Supercross Racing League (CISRL), a franchise-based Supercross league, was announced along with the unveiling of their logo as well. Toyota has also signed on as a vehicle-support partner. Pune-based ex-motocross racer Eshaan Lokhande is a co-founder of this league and wants to apply a league-based format (like the IPL) to Supercross racing in India. But unlike the IPL, which has city-based teams, Eshaan envisions brand-based teams racing in multiple classes of dirt bikes. But before we delve into the details of the league, let’s tackle some basics first.

What is Supercross?

We’ve all heard of motocross racing, right? Basically, dirt bikes racing on dirt tracks. The difference between motocross (MX) and Supercross (SX) is that the MX uses natural terrain, such as hillocks, crests and gullies to create a course, while in SX, the course is completely built from scratch. This usually is built in a stadium using bulldozers and other earth moving equipment to build crests and berms. This also means that the full track is visible to everyone inside the stadium at all times.

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Supercross actually has a rich history in India right from the 1970s all the way till the 90s with racers like Shyam Kothari, Ashok Raja and their ilk ascending to near legendary status. At one point, these SX races would see tens of thousands of fans at every racing event. But in our cricket-crazed country, SX soon fell out of fashion. There have been recent attempts at revival of the sport by Eshaan himself; in 2012, he started the Pune Invitational Supercross. But the Indian Supercross League plans to go national, and who knows, maybe even global.

How does the league work?

Just like any other league-based sport, the athletes (or racers in this case), go through the league while teams bid on them through an auction. Each team will have four classes - 450cc international, 250cc international, 250cc Indian and Asian, and an 85cc Junior class meant for 11-14 year-olds. Each class will have two riders, making for a total of eight riders per team. 

For the first season, CISRL is looking at a maximum of eight teams, with that number not exceeding 10 even in the years to come. Even for getting the teams in place, CISRL is looking for team owners who not only have the finances and infrastructure to run the team, but are passionate about racing themselves. This, Eshaan believes, will be critical in the sustainability of the league. Teams will be responsible for funding themselves either with their own finances or sponsors, or even the prize money they stand to win after each round. Eshaan says that the idea is to make Supercross racing economically viable such that it should be profitable to the league and teams over three to four years.

The first season of CISRL will start in October 2023 in Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi, with races in Ahmedabad and Pune on the calendar for later as well. Following seasons will also have more races on the calendar.

How is it better than just the national championships we currently have?

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First of all, CISRL is looking at global rider participation for more competition, primarily from America, which has the highest number of motocross racers. Racers from Brazil, Europe, Australia and even Sri Lanka will be on the cards to compete in the league. Eshaan believes that with only about 20 spots available at the top global level (World Supercross - WSX) where the best riders compete, the Supercross league will create more opportunities for riders not just around the world, but in India too. He says there’s also potential for riders and champions from the Supercross league to be picked to race internationally by other championships.

The Supercross league will also be a platform for Indian racers to compete alongside the best in the world, and see their skills improve by leaps and bounds. Plus, the junior category riders will eventually transition into the senior category too.

The Supercross league is great news for casual fans as well. Unlike track racing, which involves fans travelling to the tiny number of tracks in the country to watch a race, here the races will come to your city. And having bikes race around inside a stadium will also let the fans follow the spectacle more easily.

The Supercross league also has plans for a junior programme with 40-50cc bikes for kids aged 5 to 10. At each racing venue, 30 to 40 parents would be able to register their kids, who would get to ride around on mini dirt bikes, hopefully sparking their interest in motorcycle racing and creating future champions in India.