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Rebuilding a lost spectacle: The story of the Indian Supercross Racing League
We speak to Eeshan Lokhande, one of the co-founders of the Indian Supercross Racing League on everything ISRL as they gear up for season 2 in January 2025.
Ananya Srinidhi
August 20, 2024
In early 2024, just as the season in India shifted from pleasant to scorching hot, the Indian Supercross Racing League made a splash among motorsport fans in Ahmedabad, Pune, and Bengaluru. As a fan first and a member of the motorsport community, I followed the two races in Ahmedabad and Pune with awe as the league managed to fill stadiums, and their media coverage captured the wonder of machines and athletes flying through the air.
With some last-minute scrambling and research, I was lucky (and grateful!) to get behind the scenes, see the arrangements, and meet the folks who make it all happen. I remember the smell of fuel in the air, the dust being kicked up, the fresh talent on the grid, and most prominently, three big stands filled as race day began.
If you asked any average motorsport fan in India (or the world) to differentiate between autocross, motocross, and supercross, they would have a bit of trouble. You know it, but you can’t articulate it. But you can most definitely see it, which is what Eeshan Lokhande, the co-founder of the league, banks on:
I've always said this that the sport in itself is so exciting. Our backing is the sport. It entertains people, it creates fantastic athletes, it gives the automotive segment a huge opportunity to be involved, India being one of the largest two-wheeler markets.
Sanjay Krishna for Hairpin Co.
In essence, Supercross is a two-wheeled racing format that takes place on a specially designed, man-made dirt track, typically set within a stadium. Unlike motocross, Supercross races are shorter in duration and laps, but they are more technically demanding due to the presence of additional twists, turns, and jumps.
While Supercross may seem new to India, it has deep roots in the country’s sporting history. During its peak in the 1970s and 80s, both motocross (and by extension supercross) were widely celebrated, with packed grandstands and international competitions making their way to India. The first formal motocross race was held in Jaipur by the family of the current owners of Rajputana Customs. The enthusiasm for motorcycle racing led to the Rodil Trophy hosting a round in Pune in 1985. However, the popularity of the sport faded briefly in the 90s until 2005, when the FMSCI, the governing body of Indian motorsports, revitalized supercross racing by establishing an annual national championship.
Even with a national championship structure in place, one of the biggest problems motorsports promoters in India face is sponsorship, exacerbated by a lack of education. The concept of going fast around a racetrack, kicking up dirt to go quicker, or, in the case of ISRL, flying bikes without indicators or saree guards, is hard to grasp. Yet, in the first season of the ISRL, they secured major names such as CEAT, Hilux, and RISE to partner with their inaugural run in three cities. The secret sauce, according to Eeshan, is patience and doing right by the sport:
The most important part was patience. We did not rush into putting Season 1 out there just for the sake of it. The main point for us, we hold the riders and the sport at the top level and everything else is below that. So, when we do something like this as part of the league, it's very important for us to make sure that we look after the sport. Just doing something or putting something out there and then it not even getting forward to season two does not do good for a sport. It sets you back probably 10 years.
Education about the sport plays an even more critical role in positioning the sport in the minds of people and fans. One of the metrics of ISRL's success in its first season was filling stadiums with fans of all ages and backgrounds:
The whole idea behind this is to build one community, not have barriers between communities, get them to love the sport, make them a part of the Supercross family because there is so much for the league to give to all these people. And we do not look at it as male, female, youngsters, elderly people, because it's a sport for everyone.
Sanjay Krishna for Hairpin Co.
To drill down to one of the reasons why they were able to garner much attention from the crowd, Eeshan said “[…]When we put this event in a stadium, the spectators love[d] it. They get what they deserve, you know, the viewing points, the facilities, the pit area, parking, everything. And that's just amazing because globally, stadiums are used for everything and sports need to happen in stadiums.”
Stadiums and venues enhance the experience of sports and organically build an ecosystem around them. A sport like Supercross brings in a different revenue stream to multipurpose stadiums and leverages an existing community to further educate the crowd and bring the action to the people. It’s perhaps one of the biggest reasons why the founders have committed INR 150CR over three years to build the series, giving international riders, local fans, and Indian riders a true taste of the Indian experience.
I think, when I look at India, and the size of our country, we are a continent itself. I don't feel the need to go anywhere else right now if we can create something magnificent here. The whole idea behind ISRL was to make India a destination for Supercross; to welcome global participations, fans, spectators to India, to give them the Indian experience.
Our riders will get leveled up wherein they can go probably race WSX, could race the MXGP's in the future. India could have a motocross nations team. So, all these things are part of, part and parcel of the improvement process.
As the founders and the whole league get ready for Season 2, I am personally excited to see how ISRL is going to elevate the fan, spectator, and rider experience as a whole. In its second season, beginning January 2025 through March 2025, it promises much more community development activity and a longer season with expanded reach in various cities.