Speed! Adrenaline Rush! Passion! Grit! These are some of the euphoric emotions that every motor-head associates with racing. The thrill of being at the racetrack, driving and riding the machines to their limits, is an exhilarating experience in itself. Unfortunately, in India, the racing pedigree is quite a niche as the exposure to racing sport is limited to the only passionate affluent crowd. Moreover, only a handful of racing circuits in India are recognized by The Federation of Motorsports Clubs of India, the Federation Internationale de I 'Automobile and the Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme. Apart from Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida, there are only two race tracks: MMRT in Chennai and Kari Motor Speedway in Coimbatore. Here is everything you need to know about these circuits, which cater to the racing DNA of the country.
BIC, which can also be called mecca of Indian racing, is located in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh. Jaypee Group developed the circuit, inaugurated on October 18, 2011, and hosted its first-ever F1 Indian Grand Prix on October 30 2011. It is one of India's largest and most prominent racing tracks, with FIA Grade 1 certification. BIC also hosted two more grand-Prix events in 2012 and 2013; however, due to disputes with government authorities, the further planning of hosting Grand-Prix was put on hold. The racing circuit is 5.125 km long spread over an area of 874 acres. It has a total of 16 turns and a 1.06 km long straight stretch to test the driving skills and machine's capacity to its limits. The highest point of elevation is +14metres and has a width of around 10-14 meters. The circuit houses around one lakh ten thousand of seating capacity. This marvelous racing circuit is designed by Hermann Tilke, the German architect and race track designer responsible for Tracks like the Sepang International Circuit, Malaysia, Bahrain International Circuit, Bahrain and the Yaas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi. Now, the BIC F1 Circuit is used for hosting various prestigious national level racing events such as JK Tyre's National Racing Series, the Volkswagen one-make, the Tata Prima T1 Truck Racing Series, the National Motorcycle One-Make Series and Royal Enfield Continental GT Cup. Apart from racing events, the BIC is also open for track days. Automobile manufacturers and media authorities also use the track for promotional activities and testing. According to reports, the rent for the BIC circuit costs around 14 lakhs per day. Yes! That's quite an amount.
Madras Motor Race Track, also known as MMRT, is one the oldest racing track in India, built in the late 1980s and was inaugurated in 1990. The MMRT is 3.717 km long and consists of 10 major curves and 2 minor ones along with three straight patches. There is also one club circuit which is 2.067km long and has 7 turns. Both circuits are around 11 meters wide. The FIA granted a Grade 2 license certificate to the circuit in the year 2014. The track went into resurfacing first in 2007 and then again in 2016 to meet the racing standards. According to reports, there is an ongoing development in the MMRT to make it compliant with international standards. The track seems quite busy, with various racing championships throughout the year. The auto manufacturers and motorsport teams test their bikes and cars all-round the racing season. The track has been known to produce one of the finest racing drivers in the country. The rent for the whole track is around 1 lakh / per day, which is pretty economical for all motor-heads and auto manufacturers who are looking to shape their riding skills and test their vehicle.
Kari Motor Speedway is the Formula 3 race circuit that hosts various karting and motorcycle racing events. Along with racing events, manufacturers also use the track for testing and training purposes. The track is 2.3 km long with 14 corners and a stretch patch of 800m. The circuit is named after the late Sundaram Karivardhan Naidu, a legendary Formula racing driver and a designer. He was the pioneer of Indian motorsport who designed the Formula Maruti Open-Wheeled race car and shaped the careers of famous Indian racers. The track is CIK, and FIA certified, which hosts various National Karting Championships and Formula 3 races along with various national level motorcycle and cars races. According to our reports, the rent of the track costs around 1.5 lakh /per day. But considering the busy schedule of events on the track, it is advisable to book the track well in advance.
