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Indian organizers confirm F1 circuit on track
Source: Agencies |
June 7, 2011, Tuesday
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INDIAN Formula One Grand Prix organizers insist circuit construction will be complete ahead of time and the only reason the event was rescheduled from October was to restore the Bahrain Grand Prix to the 2011 season.
F1's governing body, FIA, decided last week to reinstate the Bahrain GP to the program in the October time slot originally designated for the Indian GP, and to make the Indian race the season finale on a date to be decided in December. The Bahrain GP was scheduled as the season-opening race in March, but it was called off amid anti-government protests.
Vicky Chandok, president of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs in India, said yesterday that the rescheduling "has nothing to do the race track, which is getting ready well ahead of schedule."
"If you ask me if it the track will be ready as per the original date, the answer is yes," Chandok said by telephone.
Organizers are building the F1 circuit on the outskirts of the capital, New Delhi. Preparations for the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi last year were beset by construction delays which overshadowed the build-up to the October event, but there have been no reports of serious delays with the F1 project to date.
Chandok said Bahrain organizers needed certain timeframes to stage their race. "We spoke to our promoters, who said there was no problem. We are happy to make the adjustment to accommodate the Bahrain GP," he added.
Chandok said Indian organizers had asked for a two-week gap between the penultimate race in Brazil and the Indian GP. "That's just owing to the logistics like distance between South America and India and transporting the cars," he said.
Meanwhile, the British government has said that reinstating the canceled Bahrain race could lead to a "disaster" if it is targeted by anti-government protesters.
At least 30 people have been killed in the Gulf kingdom unrest since February.
Britain's Sports Minister Hugh Robertson was quoted in the Daily Telegraph newspaper as saying, "you cannot have a situation where politics overtakes sport. If that happens, you have a disaster on your hands.
"You can understand why opposition groups might want the race to go ahead if they are planning protests around it and this is a danger."
F1's governing body, FIA, decided last week to reinstate the Bahrain GP to the program in the October time slot originally designated for the Indian GP, and to make the Indian race the season finale on a date to be decided in December. The Bahrain GP was scheduled as the season-opening race in March, but it was called off amid anti-government protests.
Vicky Chandok, president of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs in India, said yesterday that the rescheduling "has nothing to do the race track, which is getting ready well ahead of schedule."
"If you ask me if it the track will be ready as per the original date, the answer is yes," Chandok said by telephone.
Organizers are building the F1 circuit on the outskirts of the capital, New Delhi. Preparations for the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi last year were beset by construction delays which overshadowed the build-up to the October event, but there have been no reports of serious delays with the F1 project to date.
Chandok said Bahrain organizers needed certain timeframes to stage their race. "We spoke to our promoters, who said there was no problem. We are happy to make the adjustment to accommodate the Bahrain GP," he added.
Chandok said Indian organizers had asked for a two-week gap between the penultimate race in Brazil and the Indian GP. "That's just owing to the logistics like distance between South America and India and transporting the cars," he said.
Meanwhile, the British government has said that reinstating the canceled Bahrain race could lead to a "disaster" if it is targeted by anti-government protesters.
At least 30 people have been killed in the Gulf kingdom unrest since February.
Britain's Sports Minister Hugh Robertson was quoted in the Daily Telegraph newspaper as saying, "you cannot have a situation where politics overtakes sport. If that happens, you have a disaster on your hands.
"You can understand why opposition groups might want the race to go ahead if they are planning protests around it and this is a danger."
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