India’s Supercross Racing League has closed registration for Season 3 at 146 riders from 21 countries, locked in all seven teams that will bid for them at the upcoming auction, and set a three-round calendar that opens on December 19. The Spec’d reported the Season 3 calendar and the new Pune-backed franchise on October 3. What has firmed up since is the shape of the actual field, and it says something about how seriously international riders now treat a five-year-old Indian league.
Who’s Actually Racing: The 146-Rider Breakdown
Registrations closed in early October with 146 riders confirmed across four categories, according to an IANS report carried by Morung Express and NewKerala on October 7. The 450cc International class drew 40 riders, the 250cc International class 54. The rest split almost evenly between the 250cc India Asia Mix class, put at 26 seats, and the new 250cc Indian Futures class, which works out to the other 26 by elimination since IANS didn’t break that count out on its own.
| Category | Riders | Who it’s for |
| 450cc International | 40 | Global pros on the bigger bikes |
| 250cc International | 54 | Global riders, smaller-capacity class |
| 250cc India Asia Mix | 26 | Indian and other Asian riders |
| 250cc Indian Futures | 26 (derived) | New: a pathway class for domestic riders only |
France sent the most riders of any single country, 32, ahead of Australia’s 20 and the United States’ 18. India accounted for 30 registrations across its two home categories, per the same report. Named entries in the international pool include 2025 ISRL champion Matt Moss, 2014 MX2 World Champion Jordi Tixier, and French Supercross regular Anthony Bourdon, so this isn’t a field padded with unknowns.
India’s Own Pathway: The New Indian Futures Class
The 250cc Indian Futures class is genuinely new this season, built specifically so domestic riders don’t have to qualify against seasoned Europeans just to get a start. Confirmed Indian entries include Rugved Barguje, Prajwal Vishwanath, Shlok Ghorpade and Ikshan Shanbhag. Ghorpade’s name will be familiar to regular readers: The Spec’d covered his call-up to Hero MotoSports’ Dakar rally-raid programme in October, after the 18-year-old from Satara had already banked seven national titles in Supercross and Dirt Track. A rider this young holding seats in both a rally-raid factory programme and a supercross auction pool in the same season is unusual, and it’s a real signal of how thin India’s elite off-road talent pool still is at the very top.
Seven Teams, One Debutant From Pune
All six Season 2 franchises are back, and a seventh, PBG Racing, joins for Season 3. It’s owned by Pune’s Punit Balan Group, a conglomerate that already fields teams in cricket, tennis and chess and is making its motorsport debut with ISRL, according to Autocar India’s reporting from July.
| Team | Note |
| BigRock Motorsports | Led by Indian rally driver CS Santosh; two-time defending champion |
| PBG Racing | New for Season 3; Pune’s Punit Balan Group, its first motorsport team |
| Reise TorqRacers | Season 2 franchise |
| Gujarat Trailblazers | Season 2 franchise |
| Apollo Indewheelers Motorsports | Season 2 franchise |
| Tricolor Motorsports | Season 2 franchise |
| BB Racing | Season 2 franchise |
Bikes across the grid come from Honda, Yamaha, KTM and Kawasaki, the same four brands that dominate competitive motocross globally, not whatever a franchise happens to prefer.
The Calendar: Three Weekends, No Venues Named Yet
Round 1 runs December 19 and 20, Round 2 on January 23 and 24, and Round 3 on February 6 and 7, per ISRL’s own confirmation covered by MediaBrief in late September. Host cities for all three rounds are still unannounced; organisers say they’ll be named separately closer to each round. Each weekend carries two days of practice, qualifying heats and main races, with Indian riders up against entries from six continents on the same card. Season 2 pulled in more than 55,000 live spectators across its three rounds, per ISRL’s own figures, which is the benchmark Season 3 is being built to beat.
What Happens Next: The Mega Auction
With registrations closed, the seven teams now move to a Season 3 Mega Auction to actually build their rosters from the 146-rider pool. No auction date has been announced yet, and until it happens, nobody, including the teams themselves, knows which riders end up where.
“The quality and volume of registrations show just how much confidence international and domestic riders have in ISRL’s growing standards,” said Eeshan Lokhande, ISRL’s co-founder and director, in comments carried by IANS.
When does ISRL Season 3 start?
Round 1 is scheduled for December 19 and 20, 2026, with Round 2 on January 23 and 24, 2027, and Round 3 on February 6 and 7, 2027. Host cities haven’t been announced for any of the three rounds yet.
How many Indian riders are in ISRL Season 3?
India accounts for 30 of the 146 total registrations, spread across the 250cc India Asia Mix class and the new 250cc Indian Futures class, a pathway category introduced this season specifically for domestic riders.
Which teams are competing in ISRL Season 3?
Seven: returning champions BigRock Motorsports, along with Reise TorqRacers, Gujarat Trailblazers, Apollo Indewheelers Motorsports, Tricolor Motorsports and BB Racing, plus new entrant PBG Racing, backed by Pune’s Punit Balan Group.
