ISBL: Indian Superbike League inaugural season from October 2025; Ducati to supply machines

Indian Superbike League (ISBL), the country’s first national-level professional superbike racing event, was officially launched at an event here on Tuesday.

The inaugural season of the ISBL is expected to run from October to December later this year, with seven races spread across three cities – Chennai, Bengaluru and Pune. 

The league, sanctioned by the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI), will have seven yet-to-be-announced franchises battling out in five different classes, in an aggregated point system. Alongside two professionals, an amateur and a rookie class, ISBL will have a women-only category. 

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ISBL director Pranav Bakre believes the league has the potential to transform India’s motorcycle racing landscape. 

“The idea is to create an ecosystem that will sustain itself and lead to career opportunities for not just riders, but for mechanics, team principles, sports management, race engineers and the entire support system.  

We want to take the sport to the people. We want to bring in new eyeballs and faces. We want it to be more than just about racing. We want it to be about entertainment and content,” said Bakre during the league launch. 

The league, which will run parallel with the country’s existing motorcycle racing structure, will have only Indian riders participating, at least for the initial seasons. More than 400 FMSCI-certified riders have already applied to be part of the league through ISBL’s official portal. 

These riders will be filtered through a league-controlled selection process and then trained in affiliated riding schools before being picked by the teams through an auction. 

ISBL hopes its auction-based model will alter the existing financial dynamic of Indian motorcycle racing. 

“Today, the limitation [for the sport] is how much money you can spend to go racing. Our sport needs to be one where you have athletes who are professionals. So, in ISBL, the riders who come in will be paid to race. 

This is about giving every single Indian rider a chance to race on the best equipment, with the best facilities, and progress to something that they can do in the future,” said Sirish Vissa, ISBL director. 

Another highlight of ISBL will be the involvement of global motorcycle racing giant Ducati, who will act as a machine supplier for the franchises. 

“As a supplier of motorcycles for ISBL, we see this as an opportunity to contribute to the evolution of motorcycle racing in India. We look forward to supporting the league in its mission to build a strong foundation for Indian motorsports,” said Bipul Chandra, Managing Director, Ducati India.