Mark Hughes calls India ‘ A Great Addition on F1 Calendar ’
India is one of the fastest growing countries in almost all the fields ranging from showbiz to science and from literature to sports. The people of the place have always shown a lot of interest and fervor for development in all the fields of the world. This time it is the sport arena that is ready to make another big leap towards matching the big countries of the world.
India has successfully completed its first purpose built Formula One track, and now is ready to hold its debut Grand Prix in the second half of the upcoming season.
Mark Hughes, who is the vice president of JPSK Sports, the Jaypee Group which was signed for constructing the all-new circuit near the capital city of the country, Delhi, talked to the Formula One website giving details of the new circuit as well as talking about his expectations from the upcoming race.
He started off by telling that the people of the country are very thrilled about having Formula One here especially when they have a home team, Force India in the squad as well which would prove to be a boosting factor for the masses.
Also he was excited for the presence of an Indian driver; Karun Chandhok in the sport who he believes will be able to create excitement for many race lovers of the country.
Previously there was another Indian driver, Narain Karthikeyan, who earned much popularity and is now being missed immensely at the time when the sport is coming to the country for the first time.
Still, Hughes admitted the fact that the sport still misses a world-class racer or team from India yet he hopes that once the circuit will be operational, auto racing will get a lot of popularity in this part of the world as well.
India is a huge market. The largest ratio of its population constitutes young people who are expected to show a lot of interest. Above all what cannot be ignored is the fact that India has the fastest growing rate of middle class around the globe and all these facts give FIA a big welcoming note for the sport on the Indian soil.
When talking about the technical side of the country it is one of those places that is growing at a surprisingly fast rate, and its people have always been keen to advance for technology and innovation.
Hughes told that when the circuit was being built he time and again was shocked by the dedication and devotion with which all the people worked around, showing a great level of professionalism and interest. He proclaimed that the enthusiasm of Indians is remarkable.
While answering what made FIA think of coming to the country he replied that, “If you go to any major sports event in India, like cricket or the Commonwealth Games, you see a lot of people and a lot of patriotism. Everyone is wearing Indian-branded clothing, waving Indian flags and has the Indian national colours painted on their face.”
He further added that the cheer and fervor that the people show at any of their festivals have attracted the management eventually and as he came to the country he realized what a great decision FIA has made.
While describing the track he disclosed that Hermann Tilke, tailored the initial design, which was later discussed with some of the Formula One teams to have their input as well and hence the design was modified accordingly.
The track of Delhi is not completely flat, even though it had been built on a very flat land. Around 4 million cubic tons of earth was moved at the start so that a lot of undulation could be provided.
He concluded saying that it is overall a very exciting circuit and so are the people of the country. Hence he is looking forward to the addition of a great racing event on the Formula One calendar.
Tags: