Possible street race eyed for India

The change of guard in Andhra Pradesh may have put the Formula 1 project in Hyderabad on the back burner, but the Federation of Motorsports Club of India has not given up on the idea of holding the premier event in the country.

FMCI is in talks with the Centre about a proposal on the lines of the "low-investment" Monaco Grand Prix model promoting it as a tourism-cum-sports event.

"Considering the exorbitant cost involved in building a F-1 track no government is likely to come ahead. So now we are looking at the Monaco Grand Prix mode, in which the day-to-day used roads are only converted into tracks," Head-Motorsports J K Industries and advisor to FMCI Sanjay Sharma said here today.

Sharma, who is here in connection with the first India-ASEAN car rally, said that if the model was accepted the only cost incurred would be on the safety aspects instead of the approximate Rs 400 crore required for construction of tracks.

"When the F-1 circus lands somewhere they require about 2,500 rooms alone and if we consider the other economic benefits coupled with it we can imagine the gain to the country." PTI