Tapaswi Racing is throwing a launch party to unveil cars for their Drift School 'Off Duty Driver,'

You will remember the super cool invites we received from Harley-Davidson & Hero for the Karizma.

Now, here's another one that made us smile & appreciate. Tapaswi Racing is throwing a launch party to unveil cars for their Drift School 'Off Duty Driver,' and for the official launch of the EVC product in India by Ultimate 9. Dates are 31/8 & 1/9 in Pune. There is a track day too.

The Ultimate Desert Challenge is a high-endurance desert off-roading competition.

The 2023 Ultimate Desert Challenge (UDC) – 'X Factor edition' will be held in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, from August 18-20, 2023.

The 3-day event will span a total distance of over 200 km, during which riders, both amateurs and professionals, will tackle sand dunes and unforgiving terrain. According to the organisers, the difficulty level for the competition has been set to 'hard'. 

Hero MotoCorp is the title sponsor of this year's competition, while CEAT Tyres has been roped in as the tyre partner. Polaris is also one of the sponsors of the event. The Hero MotoCorp Motorsports Rally team will also be joining the event.

The Ultimate Desert Challenge is a high-endurance desert off-roading competition. It was first held in 2014.

MotoGP Bharat grand prix will be held at BIC from September 22-24, 2023.

Ticket sales for the 2023 MotoGP Bharat grand prix have commenced. The sale of tickets is now live on BookMyShow, with prices starting at Rs 800.

The Main Grandstand tickets are priced from Rs 20,000 to Rs 30,000, while the Platinum Corporate Box seats cost Rs 40,000. There are approximately 1,00,000 seats around the racetrack.

The government estimates that such a large-scale event would generate an economic activity of about Rs 1,000 crore. It is also expected to provide employment opportunities for 5,000 people.

MotoGP Bharat grand prix will be held at the Buddh International Circuit in Noida from September 22-24, 2023.

In India, MotoGP races will aired exclusively on JioCinema and Sports18.

Viacom18 has secured a deal with MotoGP to live stream the races exclusively on JioCinema and Sports18 in India.

Viacom18 will offer live presentations of the practice sessions on Friday and Saturday, qualifying and the Sprint on Saturday, followed by the race on Sunday. The coverable will begin with the grand prix of Portugal, which will be held on March 26, 2023.

The 2023 MotoGP season comprises of 21 races across 18 countries. More importantly, the world’s premier motorcycle race is coming to India this year. The 14th round will be held at the Buddh International Circuit on September 24, 2023. A total of 80 riders and 40 teams, including Moto2 and Motor3 classes, will take part in the race weekend.

Besides MotoGP, Viacom18 also has airing rights for Tata IPL, Tata WPL, Diamond League, FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, NBA, LaLiga, Serie A, Ligue 1, and BWF events.

It's going to be an interesting season as there will be a different rider and team line-up & some new rules have been introduced too.

BHPian five46 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

It’s “Are you ready boots!?” time!! It’s time for the 2023 MotoGP World Championship which will flag off on 26th March in Portugal, running a 21-race long season which will end in Valencia on 26th November 2023.

A quick look-down upon the list of the last 5 title winners:

Quick recap of the 2022 MotoGP Championship

Fabio Quartararo came into the season as the defending World Champion. Ducati secured the constructors' championship, with the factory Ducati Lenovo Team securing the teams' championship and factory rider Francesco Bagnaia achieving the riders' championship. In total, seven different riders and five manufacturers won Grands Prix during the season.

Francesco Bagnaia won his maiden premier class championship and made history as he completed the largest points overhaul (-91) for a Championship winner in premier class history. It was also the first for a Ducati rider in 15 years and the first for an Italian rider since Valentino Rossi in 2009.

Trivia

Honda was the only manufacturer without a victory in 2022. The season saw Honda finish in last place in the manufacturers' standings for the first time in the modern MotoGP era.

Team Changes in 2023 MotoGP

• RNF Racing will switch to Aprilia after a season with Yamaha.
• Suzuki has withdrawn from the MotoGP class at the end of the 2022 season.
• Tech3 KTM Factory Racing will be rebranded as GasGas Factory Racing. The team will be using Gas Gas-rebranded KTM bikes. Tech3 will continue to own and operate the team.

Rider changes in 2023 MotoGP

• Jack Miller will move to the KTM factory team from the Ducati factory team, replacing Miguel Oliveira. Oliveira will then move to RNF Aprilia MotoGP Team.
• Álex Márquez will move to Gresini Racing MotoGP from LCR Honda, replacing Enea Bastianini. Bastianini will then be promoted to the Ducati factory team, replacing Jack Miller.
• Álex Rins will move to LCR Honda from the now defunct Suzuki MotoGP team, replacing Álex Márquez.
• Pol Espargaró will move to the newly rebranded GasGas Factory Racing team from the Honda factory team. He will be replaced by Joan Mir, who will move from the now-defunct Suzuki MotoGP team.
• Raúl Fernández will move to RNF Aprilia MotoGP Team from Tech3 KTM Factory Racing.
• Remy Gardner will leave MotoGP for the Superbike World Championship. He will be replaced by 2022 Moto2 World Riders' Champion Augusto Fernández, who will enter the MotoGP class with the rebranded GasGas Factory Racing team.

Rule changes in 2023 MotoGP

Sprint races will be introduced at all Grand Prix. Sprint races will be held at 15:00 on the Saturday of each Grand Prix weekend and will be approximately 50% of the total race distance. Points will be awarded to the top 9 finishers on a 12–9–7–6–5–4–3–2–1 basis, similar to the system being used in Superbike World Championship Superpole races.

The grids for both the Sprint race and the Grand Prix race will be set from qualifying, which will retain its Q1–Q2 format. There will also be one less practice session and the warm-up session as a result. Sprint race wins are not considered as regular Grand Prix wins and instead would have their own "Sprint race wins" statistic.

Minimum tyre pressure rules will be enforced. The use of any device that modifies or adjusts the motorcycle’s front ride height while it is moving is now forbidden.

The 2023 MotoGP Season Calendar

2023 MotoGP Season Teams and Riders

Some 2023 liveries for your eyes to feast

Tid-Bits

The Number# 1 Curse Prodigy

In MotoGP, the rider who holds the number 1 plate as the reigning champion, often faces difficulties in replicating their success in the next season, known as the “Number 1 Curse”.

And thus the debate over the draw of the #1 plate continues: fans either feel passionate that a world champion must carry the #1 plate, as if it were some sort of birthright or – you don’t really care either way.

The #1 hasn’t appeared on the front of a MotoGP bike since 2012 when Casey Stoner rode what would be his final season in the series with the number to mark his second world title. It’s fitting, then, that Bagnaia – who ended Ducati’s 15-year drought last season since Stoner’s first world title in 2007 – picks up the mantle for 2023 on his Desmosedici.

Not since Mick Doohan in 1998 has a rider in the premier class successfully defended the #1 plate, when the Australian legend took the fifth and final 500cc title of his career.

If Bagnaia does manage to defend his title in 2023, it will be another bit of history - after becoming the first rider ever to overcome a 91-point deficit and five DNFs in a season to win his first crown – to bolster his legacy. And perhaps it will usher in a change in mindset for future champions when it comes to running the #1.

Poll: Predict your MotoGP 2023 World Championship Title Winner

Pick your winner and let the discussions on the 2023 MotoGP season begin!

And yes, before I forget, MotoGP Circus is hitting the Indian shores for the first time. I hope to make it there in September.

Source: Curated from Wikipedia and the www.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

The KTM RC Cup will feature 250 races held between January and March 2023 across 8 cities.

KTM India announced the RC Cup racing championship at India Bike Week 2022. The event will be held from January 2023.

KTM RC Cup is part of the KTM Pro-XP program that offers riding experiences to KTM owners across trails, tarmac and track. RC Cup will offer buddying riders a chance to hone their track riding skills and compete on racetracks across India.

The KTM RC Cup will be held between January and March 2023 in Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Delhi, Chennai, Coimbatore, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Kolkata. The race will be directed by Jeremy Mcwilliams, ex-MotoGP racer and will be supported by Emmanuel Jebaraj, 7-time National INMRC Champion. Registrations will open soon.

Riders will be trained by some of the biggest names in motorcycle racing. The top 3 winners will win a visit to the KTM headquarters in Austria. The winners will also get to visit Motohall at Mattighofen in Austria, interact with KTM Racing Factory athletes and witness a MotoGP race live.

The Formula E Season 9 kicks off on January 14 in Mexico City. Hyderabad will host Round 4 on February 11, 2023.

India will be hosting a Formula E race next year. It will be held at a street circuit alongside the Hussainsagar Lake in Hyderabad.

An Indian Racing League (IRL) race will be organized at the new racetrack on November 19-20, 2022, prior to the main event.

The 2.83 km racetrack winds through NTR Gardens and consists of 17 turns. Initially, the organizers had planned for a 2.38 km track, which was later revised to the present layout.

The Formula E Season 9 kicks off on January 14 in Mexico City. Hyderabad will host Round 4 on February 11, 2023.

The Hyderabad E-Prix will be held at the 2.37 km track at Lumbini Park.

The first Formula E race in India will be held at Hyderabad on February 11, 2023.

The Hyderabad E-Prix will be held at the 2.37 km track at Lumbini Park alongside the Hussain Sagar Lake. The track is said to have been designed by Driven International.

Hyderabad will host Round 4 of Season 9, which kicks off in Mexico City on January 14, 2023. Brazil will also host its first E-Prix next year. The Sao Paulo E-Prix will be held on March 25.

FIA will also debut the Gen3 race car next season. 12 teams and 24 drivers fight for the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.

Kimi Raikkonen is the first driver to be part of the PROJECT91 racing programme

2007 Formula 1 World Champion Kimi Raikkonen has announced his return to racing after calling quits on his F1 career at the end of 2021.

The Finnish driver will be making his Nascar Cup Series debut later this year, driving for the Trackhouse Racing Team. The one-off event will see Kimi take part in a road course race, driving a Chevrolet Camaro at Watkins Glen International on August 21st. He will be teaming up with Daniel Suarez and Ross Chastain.

Kimi Raikkonen is the first driver to be part of the PROJECT91 racing programme - designed to showcase the talent of racing drivers from all across the world.

DreamSetGo packages will offer grandstand seats to watch an F1 grand prix.

DreamSetGo has become the 'authorized sales agent' of F1 Experiences in India. The company will provide official F1 Experiences ticket packages for worldwide races starting March 18.

DreamSetGo packages will offer grandstand seats to watch a grand prix. The packages will also include access to paddocks, track tours, and pit lane walks, along with a meet-and-greet with drivers and legends from the world of Formula 1.

DreamSetGo offers end-to-end sports travel packages for cricket, tennis, motorsports, golf and football. The company has partnerships with Chelsea FC and Manchester City.