The Formula One might be still young in India but the heat is fast building up. Round the corner is the Indian Grand Prix 2013 to be held at Buddh International Circuit on October 27th. Among the steps taken to promote the sport, is the unveiling of a documentary titled “Buddh International Circuit: A Race Against Time”. The one-hour long documentary to be aired at 8 pm next Friday on National Geographic channel promises to educate the viewers on the making of Formula One racetrack a reality in India.
Present at the special screening of the documentary was Narain Karthikeyan, the most identified F1 name in India. “The Indian audiences over the past decade have started widening their horizons and accepted Formula One racing as one of the most exciting sports. They want to know more, witness more and engage better with the sport. This documentary will help fans better appreciate the massive efforts and resources put in creating one of the best racing circuits in the world,” stated Karthikeyan, creating a lot of buzz. And no, this time he does not have to participate in the race to become a head turner. His mere presence was enough to send shutterbugs clicking away. However, his arrival and departure resembled a flash of lightening just as he would be on the circuit. Deftly handling media queries about his early days he advised the journalists to catch up on his website.
Further, one asked a few questions about his life beyond racing and he again referred to his website. From the looks of it, for a while it appeared he could well have sent just his laptop. But then, the thirty-something Coimbatore man talked straight and drove home a point. “This documentary is a rare opportunity for the viewers to witness the preparations of the Formula One racetrack, to develop an understanding of the sport, to know about the backstage things and have an insider’s understanding.”
Dressed immaculately in the formals, the ace racer stressed on the importance of fitness. “It is necessary to be healthy and fit. Good health is a must in any sport. Formula One is no different.” And he talked some more about F1, stating “how delighted he is at F1 racetrack becoming a reality in India and how the showcasing of this documentary will help raise more awareness of the sport. Back then, there was no infrastructure in place. But now, we have a racetrack. In fact, it is one of the mega structures. There is use of cutting edge technologies. And this documentary captures the magnitude of the project.”
Finally, towards the end as he settled down, he got candid and mentioned his interest in history. “I keep watching Nat Geo’s documentaries. Mostly, I watch things related to history. For example, just sometime back I watched a documentary on the World War.” He then signed off with a smile before getting back to his race against time. After all, Narain Karthikeyan is all speed. On circuit, off it.
