The Chairman of the Jaypee Group, Manoj Gaur, said that the organisation of the Formula One race in October at the Buddh International Circuit here would make every Indian proud, at the launch of the logo, on Monday.
It was mentioned that 6,000 people were working round the clock for the last 2-1/2 years, and the experts, mostly from Malaysia who had prior experience in the construction of many such tracks, were handling the task efficiently to meet the deadlines well ahead of time. It was argued that with nine of the 18 tracks of the world located in Asia, there was no dearth of expertise in the region.
After the double success of hosting and winning the cricket World Cup by the nation, the Chairman expressed his confidence that the year would also be remembered for hosting the prestigious race in the country for the first time.
He said that it was important for someone to take the initiative to do a project of such magnitude that required $400 million investment.
Logo
He visualised the step in making such an infrastructure, providing tremendous boost to Indian motor sport over the next few years, and helping many champion drivers follow on the foot prints of Karthikeyan and Karun Chandhok.
While the logo, a stylishly tilted ‘B' looking like a heart, with a blend of saffron and green colour, capturing the essence of the Buddh International Circuit's attempt to take ‘Bharat' to greater heights in the sport, it was hoped that the National Capital Region (NCR) and the whole country would rise to the occasion with its participation to make the race a memorable event.
Though the price for the various tickets would be announced shortly, it was stated that the rates were likely to start at Rs.2,500 for three days.
There will be concession tickets for students, and the prices in the other Asian circuits were being studied so as to provide a good package, considering that it would be the inaugural race in the country.
It was declared that the civil work for the track and the various buildings apart from grand stands were almost complete, and the track would be ready for homologation scheduled by FIA in July.
The track will be 5.14 kilometres in length, and will have 16 turns, about four of which would provide considerable scope for overtaking to make it a lot more exciting.
It is expected to be a very fast track with an average speed of 240 kilometres per hour and a maximum speed of 320 kmph. It will have elevated stretches with a maximum elevation of 14 metres. Equally, there would be three helicopters monitoring the race for providing immediate medical support.
Meeting guidelines
The President of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI),Vicky Chandhok, said that the track was the only one in the world that met the latest guidelines, that made the sport more exciting for the drivers and spectators.
Incidentally, Vicky Chandhok's son, Karun Chandhok had driven a Toyota Camry on the track when it was under construction to get a first hand feel of the preparations, some time ago.
It was mentioned that 45 experts, working on the project, had visited the F-1 race in Sepang to study various aspects, and another visit had been planned for the Grand Prix in Turkey.
On the logistics of hosting an event that is expected to have a seating capacity of 120,000, it was mentioned that there would be parking for 15,000 cars, and that everyone would be urged to have at least three persons in a car!
There would be ‘robust' shuttle buses to the metro station in Noida. It was stated that 4,000 rooms in hotels had already been booked and that there would be adequate accommodation around the place for everyone concerned, meeting different budgets.
