Visa chaos, Martin only flies to India today
MotoGP riders and team members arrive one by one for the Indian Grand Prix. The last to leave was Jorge Martinwho from Madrid airport shared on social media the end of this odyssey which is embarrassing the world of two wheels, in truth innocent since it involves delays caused by the bureaucracy and inefficiency of the local agency that managed the visas of drivers, teams and journalists.
Martin’s social post
So Martin “rejoiced” about it Instagram: “India, here we come! Last minute saw, can’t wait to do this Asian tour!“. Tour that includes not only the Buddh International Circuit but also Motegi and Mandalika. After a trip to Oceania (Phillip Island) the MotoGP will “go up” between Thailand, Malaysia and Qatar, before the last stage scheduled in Valencia.
What happened with the visas
With two days left until the meetings between the drivers and the media, many passes for team members and journalists have not yet arrived. Marc Marquez – for example – is still in Spain, after his flight was postponed due to visa problems. At the moment the only full team at the Buddh International Circuit appears to be LCR Honda.
The procedures for issuing the electronic visa were managed by the agency Mondy India Pvt Ltd. On 31 July, interested parties received a form which had to be completed by 4 August. The problems started with the visa payments, first directed to an account that PayPal blocked due to the excessive influx of money and then transferred via the TransferWise app, which however the 1,500 in the paddock did not use. Delays that have led to the paradoxical situation of some members of the MotoGP teams who are arriving one by one close to the event and it is not known whether they have left. Other problems arise from the exorbitant costs of overnight accommodation facilities and shuttle services between the runway and the hotel and between the hotel and the airport. It is not only logistical problems that are at stake, but also track issues. For example, the approval of the track has not yet been completed: the green light could only arrive on Thursday, very close to the race weekend, with all the doubts that this delay may generate regarding the safety of the Buddh International Circuit (already questioned in turn-1, where there is a wall dangerously close to the asphalt), on the organizational abilities of the local promoters and on what logic is behind the forced dispute of a race weekend for which we arrived totally unprepared.
