-CFMOTO pull into the Buddh International Circuit for the first ever IndianOil Grand Prix of India and MotoGP’s initial taste of Indian culture and passion for motorcycle racing.

-Xavi Artigas battled bravely on the outskirts of the top ten and pushes to enter the points with a hard-won 12th position

-Joel Kelso crashes out on the second lap while jostling for positions on the edge of the top fifteen

-Straight onto Japan. The Indian round was the first of eight events in ten weeks, and the second of back-to-back races takes place at the Twin Ring Motegi in a few days.

The Buddh International Circuit opened its doors in 2011. The track held the Indian Formula One Grand Prix for three years but had not seen another high-profile world championship GP for a decade until MotoGP rolled into the site south of Delhi for round thirteen of the season. There was speculation about whether the fixture would go ahead but the organiser of the ‘Bharat GP’ pulled out all the stops to ensure MotoGP infrastructure arrived in good time and the venue itself was upgraded, improved and readied for the fastest motorcycle racing series on the planet.

MotoGP braced itself for the opening race in an intense cycle that will see the ‘continental circus’ travelling to Japan, Indonesia, Australian, Thailand, Malaysia and Qatar before the trip back to Europe in mid-November. Like the other Moto3, Moto2 and MotoGP teams, CFMOTO PruestelGP packed their structure into freight and prepared for the diverse range of territories and tracks that lay ahead.

Buddh (or BIC) was the first and arguably most curious of the bunch, considering the 5km and 13-corner layout was a brand-new challenge for every single competitor. The trajectory was fast and with a good mix of turns, emphasising braking and acceleration. The riders not only had to learn the best lines and their ultimate braking points but also modify gearing and other settings on the bike. The intense heat and humidity was similar to conditions traditionally found in Malaysia and that created its own demands on the racers as well as the machinery.

On Friday Kelso lapped on the edge of the top ten (and earned direct entry to Q2) while Artigas was a little further back. After the runs through qualification – the Q2 session was wet due to a brief but heavy Indian shower - the Australian again showed his decent one-lap speed by riding to 15th as Artigas ranked 22nd.  

On Sunday the Moto3 race was played out over 16-laps. The lead group was typically vast at the beginning as the protagonists learned how to circulate Buddh in a crowd and to maximise prime overtaking spots. Artigas was just inside the top twenty at the start of the second lap and Kelso was more advanced when he tried to get on the gas too hard on the exit of Turn 3 and was launched out of the saddle. With the Australian on the sidelines Artigas carried the CFMOTO name onwards as the pack splintered into small groups. The Catalan was in the sixth batch and rode well to take 12th place by the flag. Xavi banked points for just the second time in the last five Grands Prix.

CFMOTO PruestelGP remain just inside the top ten of the Teams Championship. Artigas is situated 12th but is in close proximity to 10th. Kelso stays on the periphery of the top twenty, although he missed three rounds due to a broken ankle.

The unique tunnel and stop-start nature of the Twin Ring Motegi is next on the slate and means MotoGP is destined for Japan for round fourteen next weekend.

Xavier Artigas: “A tricky weekend. Yesterday we could work on our rhythm a bit more and that helped for the race. I felt good and could overtake quite well in the first laps. I made a small mistake with another rider that caused me to run wide and I had to fight back again, but, overall satisfied because we could aim for the top ten until the last lap. A positive race and I’m keen for another one in Japan.”

Joel Kelso: “I got caught-up in Turn 1 and then made four positions on the first lap but I had contact with a rider into Turn 3 and that ruined my exit. When I opened the gas, race over. I’ve been struggling a bit with being aggressive in races so that first period before the crash was a small positive from today. We’ll be ready for much better in Japan. We’ll be fighting.”

Moto3 2023 Gran Premio IndianOil Grand Prix of India

1. Jaume Masia (ESP) Honda 31:58.245

2. Kaito Toba (JPN) Honda +5.477 

3. Ayumu Sasaki (JPN) Husqvarna +5.784

12. Xavier Artigas (ESP), CFMOTO Racing PruestelGP +16.481

DNF. Joel Kelso (AUS), CFMOTO Racing PruestelGP

Moto3 2023 world championship standings after 13 of 20 rounds

1. Daniel Holgado (ESP) KTM, 174 points

2. Jaume Masia (ESP) Honda 174

3. Ayumu Sasaki (JPN) Husqvarna, 173 

12. Xavier Artigas (ESP) CFMOTO Racing PruestelGP, 64 

21. Joel Kelso (AUS), CFMOTO Racing PruestelGP, 19