28 August,2011 10:37 AM IST | | Rocky Thongam
A 3-day racing carnival in Greater Noida this October on a $350 million circuit promises to change the way motorsport is viewed in the country. Here's why F1 fans, IITians and a Paharganj toy seller are excited
Ankit Mehta abhors corruption. Like several other Indians, this 19 year-old bought a Rs 100 Gandhi cap from an enterprising hawker outside Delhi's Ramlila Maidan, and joined Anna Hazare's anti-corruption crusade.
But before plunging himself into the protest wave, he logged on to https://www.bookmyshow.com/ and bought himself a Rs 2,500 ticket for the Indian Grand Prix scheduled for October 30.
A labourer walks near the under-construction Buddh International
Formula 1 Circuit in Greater Noida, some 80kms east of New Delhi.
pic/AFP photo
Battleground Delhi might be caught smack in the middle of a tussle between anti-corruption posterboy Hazare and his opponents but a certain tribe of the county's populace, to which Ankit belongs, is shifting gears.
They are simply called F1 enthusiasts. And it seems like their numbers are growing.
"Last night I checked, and it was 15,000 tickets gone already. God knows what the statistic is right now," says Sameer Gaur, Managing Director and CEO of Jaypee Sports International, about ticket sales for the race that's to be held at Buddh International Circuit, a 1,20,000-capacity venue that is going to cost $350 million to build, 80 kms east of Delhi.
It's a figure Gaur and his colleagues claim is growing since bookings opened, and the first two tickets were presented to Narain Karthikeyan and Karun Chandok, the only two Indians to have represented the country in the sport.u00a0
But in a country where burning tyres on the tarmac is synonymous with hit-and-run cases, and sport is spelt with a C, will Formula One racing sustain its magnetism? The organisers and teams involved admit it's a difficult task but Indians can be taught that 'C' can mean not just cricket but cars too.
"We are a cricket-crazy country. But with proper infrastructure, we can encourage other sports. This is the opportunity that will give a boost to motor sporting in India," says Gaur in a telephonic interview.
Taking the idea further, Mercedes-Benz India plans to put fans behind the wheel by setting up a Performance Driving Academy at the circuit, once the event winds up. "China and the United States already have one each outside Germany. This third one in India will have a five-step training process. For further training, the bright guys will be taken to Germany," says Mercedes-Benz India CEO Peter Honegg.
There are others who have joined the bandwagon too. The Red Bull Racing car team is making inroads in the domain through young India. Take for example, Harshit Jain and Anshul Kapoor, who recently emerged winners in the preliminary rounds of designing motorised racing cans.
The Street Hawks, as the budding IIT engineers call themselves, wouldn't have spent thousands to watch the race but being part of the competition has rekindled their interest in Formula1 racing. "We did a lot of research about F1 in order to be part of the competition. So our information quotient about the event has risen," says Jain. "Two free tickets, and you never know, we might be shouting our lungs out while cheering the drivers behind the stands," adds Kapoor with a cheeky smile.
Abhimanyu Alsisar is MD (Operations) of the Alsisar Group of Hotels. But this young man, a 13th generation descendent of the erstwhile rulers of Alsisar dons the F1 fan cap with equal ease. "To have Force India on an Indian circuit will be a great day for Indian fans. And hopefully, it will raise awareness about motor sports in the country. I'm excited," he says.
Don't leave it to the landed gentry or the bourgeoisie to bask in F1 glory. Lakhanpal has sold six F1 toy cars from his makeshift stall in Paharganj. "I support Anna but 12 days of protest have meant bad news for my business. They ask me about Michael Schumacher. I don't know him, but a car at my stall sells for Rs 50. I'm hoping to make the trip to the event to sell my cars outside the venue.
And then there are those who do know their drivers, and have declared them the next big sex symbols. "Yes, the drivers are good looking men, and women fans drool over them. But I'm waiting for a woman driver to burn the race tracks one day," says Harshit Merchant, who runs Checkered Flags, a 250 member strong F1 fan club in Mumbai. Let's see if someone fulfills Merchant's fantasy by October.
