Feature | India's high speed entry in the world's F1 map

Formula One having its inaugural in India is one of the most exciting events to look forward to this year for all sports lovers across the nation. For the first time in the history of Formula One racing, the F1 World Championship will feature as many as 20 races in 2011 ' the maximum number of races ever scheduled for a single season.

The 2011 F1 season will start on the 13th of March with the Bahrain Grand Prix and will conclude on the 27th of November with the Brazilian GP. The Indian F1 Grand Prix, scheduled for the 30th of October, comes in at two races before the end of the season, and is slated to take place immediately after the Korean GP and before the race at Abu Dhabi.

The planning of F1 coming to India began all the way back in 1997. After many unsuccessful plans across the nation, the Indian Olympics Association made a provisional agreement with Bernie Ecclestone, CEO of Formula One Management and Formula One Administration to host the F1 in India in 2009. Initially Gurgaon was chosen for the race track and the track was to be constructed by the Jaypee Group. After reviewing the plans, Bernie Ecclestone declared that the Indian Formula One race will be scheduled for 2011. The final location for the F1 race track was changed from Gurgaon in Haryana to Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh. The ground work for building the F1 race track by Jaypee Group started in 2009 and is expected to be completed by July 2011.The estimated cost of constructing the Formula One race track for the Indian leg of the 2011 season is Rs.1000 crore, according to some sources. The race track will be laid on 865 acres of land, in the 2500 acre Jaypee Green Sports City.

In the F1 calendar announced for 2011, India is one of the new entrants to the Formula One series. Grand Prix is scheduled to be held at Jaypee Sports International's (JPSI) upcoming motor racing circuit

The Hermann Tilke-designed Jaypee circuit is 5.14km long and with its combination of 16 corners, high-speed straights and elevation changes, it's likely to be one of the fastest, most challenging tracks on the F1 itinerary. In fact, to make sure that F1 teams don't dismiss it as "yet another boring Tilke-designed circuit,' the developers shared the design with some F1 team before they started building the track. These teams put the design into their race simulators and came back with suggestions on how the track could be made more exciting to race on, and most of those changes have been included in the final design.

The Jaypee race circuit is being built by Jaypee Sports International Ltd. (JPSI), a subsidiary of Jaiprakash Associates Ltd. (JAL), one of the largest construction and infrastructure conglomerates in India. Earth works for the circuit, which is being built at a cost of US$350 million, is now complete and four million cubic tons of earth has been moved in order to build this new track.

The race track stadium will have a capacity to hold 1,20,000 spectators and a huge grandstand near the 10 and 11 turns of the race track, that can accommodate privileged 30,000 spectators under its shade.

Another interesting development that took place last July was JPSI sponsoring Karun Chandhok. Hispania Racing's Karun Chandhok will act as Brand Ambassador for Jaypee, endorsing the Group, its brands and its products. Jaypee Group will also have exclusive rights to sell Hispania Racing and Karun Chandhok merchandise in Uttar Pradesh and the National Capital Region (NCR).

Speaking exclusively to Adgully, Mark Hughes, Vice-President (Operations), JPSI said, "The deadline for the track to be completed is end of July 2011. For executing such a large-scale project, there are various challenges are in terms of engineering expertise and resource deployment, but the Jaypee Group is well equipped to meet those challenges and we're confident of completing the project on time."

Formula One cars are expected to get an average speed of 210 kmph around the track. The main straight will allow f1 drivers to floor the throttle and achieve a maximum speed of 320 kmph.

The automobile industry is positive and keyed up for this event to occur. Many in the industry feel that this event will increase the opportunities for the Indian markets on an international level.

Dr. John Chacko, Chief Representative & President and Managing Director, Volkswagen, speaking exclusively to Adgully said, "I think the automobile industry is on a sharp up curve and we will continue to see for many years high rates of growth in this industry. F1 is already happening and I think it will continue for many more years now."

R. C. Bhargava, Chairman, Maruti Suzuki said, "It brings the motor sport to a higher level and I hope it will improve the whole concept of motorizing and doesn't put it into a corner"

There is a lot of planning involved in a property as huge as this. The fact whether India can take it forward and ensure a successful event is something that we all look forward to. Advertisers and marketers alike are also ecstatic about this upcoming event and it provides a whole spectrum of opportunities. Fans across the country wait with bated breath for this event that will further cement India on the map of global sports and is a huge milestone for the nation. | By Janees Antoo [janees(at)adgully.com]