Exciting times: The circuit will become the longest street circuit in India.
| Photo Credit: R. Ravindran
In a big fillip to motorsports in the city, Racing Promotions Private Limited, in association with the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu, launched the Chennai Formula Street Circuit on Wednesday with plans to hold India’s first-ever night street race later this year.
The track will host the Indian Racing League and the F4 Indian Championship on December 9 and 10.
SDAT and RPPL signed a MoU in the presence of Udhayanidhi Stalin, Minister of Youth Welfare and Sports Development, to develop a 3.5 km-long street circuit surrounding Island Grounds. Once ready, it will be the longest street circuit in India.
The circuit will stretch across Island Grounds, Victory War Memorial and the Napier Bridge, with 19 corners running in an anti-clockwise direction with the pit and paddock structures to come inside Island Grounds.
The government has allotted Rs. 42 crores for the project, and SDAT has also roped the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) and the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) to collaborate with RPPL.
The track will be India’s second street circuit after Hyderabad, which hosted a round of the FIA Formula E Champion earlier this year.
When asked about the timeline for getting the circuit ready, Akhilesh Reddy, Chairman & Managing Director of RPPL, said, “We will start the initial work by this month, and it will be in full-fledged force by the end of September.
“We start working on the ground two-and-a-half months before the race with work for lights, and the safety aspects beginning a month-and-a-half before the event,” he added.
The city is considered the cradle of motorsports in the country. The upcoming facility will be the second one for motorsports after the Madras International Circuit, a purpose-built venue located in the outskirts of the city at Irungatukottai.