[route666]

the design was in this month's autosport. looks like a fast track.
they are comparing it to the new nurburing track.

[raj.barcode]

It was in "http://en.espnf1.com/" . It was online today and apparently it is en-route to completion on time for 2011 grand prix

Originally Posted by s3va

Raj,
Good scoop. source please !

Also any quick updates on the status of the track ? Is it still on target to hold the 2011 race ?

This is really exciting. Forget about the track giving good race or not & the relative shorter track length, atleast you dont need to spend a fortune to travel outside India to have a glimpse of F1, the mean machines & best drivers in the world. I think its a positive move !

Let Manmohan think in his own perspective, but I hope this plan materializes !

[McLaren Rulez]

Originally Posted by raj.barcode

its altitude variations look nice

That's because the altitude has been scaled up by a factor of five. In reality, the altitude changes aren't very high. Don't expect it to be like Spa's Eau Rouge or anything.

[Country Road]

Finally India is one step closer to hosting a F1 race.

An aside guys - Pickup a property on this streatch. You could see your monies double, if not triple in a years time.

On a serious note, I do not see any reason why the Government of India should fund this. It is an elitest sport after all (my personal point of view). There are enough corporates with big pockets to spend monies on this track.

[s3va]

If horse racing and betting can be made legal and a sport, then why not F1 ! Anyways dont like to digress here from the original thread objective, glad to note that the track activity is showing good progress.

I felt the number of sharp curves and chicanes could have been more !

[nirmaljusdoit]

Business Asia: Formula One's Race for Asia - WSJ.com

Formula One's Race for Asia
By Fraser Howie

Later this month the Formula One circus will roll into China's financial capital for the seventh annual Shanghai Grand Prix. It will be one of six races to be held in the Asian time zone this season. The world's most expensive sport is looking for growth outside its traditional center in Europe, and Asia is the key new market. Whether Asia will live up to the dreams of the F1 bosses is another matter.
F1 has a long history in some parts of Asia. Japan's Suzuka circuit dates to the early 1960s, and the Japanese fan base rivals that of many countries in Europe. Japanese drivers and constructors (F1-speak for carmakers) are well established. Malaysia lacks that tradition, but it still hosted the first F1 race in Asia outside of Japan in 1999. For years Malaysians have been race hosts and team sponsors and there was even a Malaysian driver for a season.

Lately, however, Asia has witnessed a new phenomenon: Hosting a Formula One race has become a status symbol to display growing economic clout. Many locations with no history of motorsport have spent hundreds of millions of dollars to build circuits and buy the rights to hold major races.
Consider Singapore, which in 2008 hosted its first F1 event. The city-state spent 150 million Singapore dollars ($107 million) for the right to host one of the 19 "grand prix" events of the racing year for five seasons, with the Singapore Tourist Board contributing 60% of the money and the rest coming from private enterprise. The result has been a popular night race under hundreds of floodlights through the city's business and historic district, bringing in tourist revenue for the city-state and Asian exposure to F1. Abu Dhabi topped that in 2009 with a race starting in daylight and ending in the moonlight.
But these successes haven't arisen from the growth of a local market for F1, so much as from Asia's ability to cater to fans back in Europe. The evening race times fit afternoon European television schedules for the established audience. Sparking greater Asian interest in F1 will be the key to transforming the region into a profit center for the sport rather than merely an exotic locale for the races Europeans watch on television.
In this regard, the race between China and India is the most interesting event. China has taken a "build it (with government money) and they will come" attitude. The state-of-the-art Shanghai circuit, which opened in 2004, cost $240 million and was built in only 18 months, probably a year faster than it would have taken in Europe. The first event there became the most anticipated race of the season. State support was instrumental: The Shanghai government paid all the bills for circuit construction, supporting infrastructure and the $50 million per year to host the race. The main sponsor was none other than the state-owned oil company, Sinopec.
Yet local interest has been limited. The racing circuit is an inconvenient 30-odd kilometers from the city center. The cheapest grandstand tickets cost more than $100 in a city where the average salary in 2008 was less than $500 per month. Race organizers had to bus in spectators from the ranks of employees at local state-owned companies to make sure the stands looked full on television—and what little initial excitement there was has only waned.
India's approach has predictably been more haphazard. The country has yet to host a race, although a Delhi event is expected in 2011. But that hasn't stopped Vijay Mallya, the Indian equivalent of Richard Branson, from jumping in. Mr. Mallya bought a 50% stake in the Spyker team for 88 million euros ($118 million) in late 2007 and immediately rebranded it as Force India. The team struggled in its first season but in August 2009 it took second place in Belgium and fourth place in Italy two weeks later. Force India has become a solid middle-tier team within two years and there's no reason to think it couldn't be a serious top-tier contender down the road.
F1 provides a global advertizing platform for the larger-than-life Mr. Mallya, chairman of the United Breweries Group and Kingfisher Airlines, and owner of the Bangalore Royal Challengers cricket team. His lavish lifestyle is a source of endless press fascination, which in turn reflects onto his F1 team. Although F1 interest in India is in its infancy, his involvement certainly has brought the sport more media attention. It hardly matters that he's probably losing money on the team (as, reportedly, do most owners, although the financial reports are always a closely guarded secret).
Mr. Mallya's F1 effort more closely resembles the successful formula in Europe—the collision of fast cars and big egos that gives fans excitement both on and off the track. China's mistake has been thinking a flashy track alone will do the trick. Because there are no Chinese personalities of Mr. Mallya's type in F1, the Shanghai race ends up being merely one weekend out of 19 in the racing calendar.
India is often thought to play runner-up to China when it comes to economic achievements. But at least in F1, China's trophy event may prove to be no match for India's podium finish.
Mr. Howie is co-author of "Privatizing China" (Wiley, 2003).


News > F1 teams had input into India's GP circuit - Motorsport.com


F1 teams contributed to the design of India's new circuit.

Under construction since last November outside the capital Delhi, the layout was penned by the Formula One regular Hermann Tilke's German company.

But, Mark Hughes, vice president of promoter Jaypee who have signed a ten-year race contract with Bernie Ecclestone, said the teams have also been involved in the shape of the track that could be the fastest on the calendar after Monza.
"We sent the details to all the teams and they programmed the information into their simulators and gave us feedback on where we could make improvements and add overtaking opportunity points," he said in an interview with Reuters.
Hughes, formerly involved with the Bahrain race, said he expects the privately-funded $350 million venue to host its inaugural race next October.



Dug up the above two update articles, in the first one, interesting how China has approached the Gran Prix, and the second one, that the Noida track would be the second fastest If all goes well, get ready to travel to New Delhi next October !!

[Blue_V]

Noida ppl, pls post some track pictures

[pb10gagan]

According to the Picture its bang on the expressway.

I went to greater noida about a month back. could not notice any big construction activity along this stretch.

a 2011 GP looks highly unlikely.

If they name this track Bhim Rao Ambedkar something than it can get completed much faster.

[iraghava]

Originally Posted by pb10gagan

If they name this track Bhim Rao Ambedkar something than it can get completed much faster.

LOL! How true, it would get completed even faster if named after Mananiya Kanshi Ram ji!!

[khanak]

X posting from Skyscrapercity

[khanak]

Work to prepare the site for the 2011 Indian Grand Prix is now 90% completed, with all the terracing work having been completed and the flat farmland on which the circuit is being constructed having been transformed to allow for changes in elevation on the circuit of around 60 feet. There are hundreds of miles of drainage ditches now being dug while the ground settles and then actual construction will start with the circuit, its associated support roads and all buildings being completed by July next year, giving the organisers three months before inaugural Indian GP, which it is hoped will take place in October 2011. In the first year this is likely to be a stand-alone event as the F1 circus checks out that customs and immigration work properly but after that it is likely to be twinned with another Asian race. The Indians were hoping to get the last race of the year, but Abu Dhabi has an exclusive deal for this until the end of 2011. The circuit is being designed by Tilke but it will be a little different from other such facilities, at least in terms of the design of the buildings. Rather than representing national motifs as we have seen in places like Turkey, Malaysia and Bahrain, the Indian buildings will be modern and high technology. The aim is to show that India is an advanced nation although Tilke has included a public area that will represent the feathers of the coutry’s national bird, the peacock, when viewed from the air.

The circuit will have a capacity of between 120,000 and 150,000 depending on demand, with the main grandstand housing 30,000 people and others being temporary structures which will allow the circuit to balance the available seating with the demand for tickets.

The entire project is privately-funded by the vast Jaypee conglomerate which has established a promotion company for the circuit called Jaypee Sports. The circuit is part of a much larger development called Jaypee Sports City which will include not only a 3.16-mile Formula 1 circuit, but also a golf course, an equestrian centre and a 100,000-seat cricket stadium. The long term aim is for the circuit to be linked to the expanding Delhi metro system, which currently stops at Greater Noida, not far from the track. The Greater Noida development is the brainchild of the local state government and includes an airport, a financial district, offices, restaurants, convention centres and exhibition halls, plus an entertainment district, hotels, a hospital plus educational facilities, universities and a Research & Development Park. The help pay for the construction there will be hundreds of luxury apartments for sale. The whole development is not unlike the planned facilities that have been constructed in the Gulf states.

Jaypee is controlled by one of India’s richest families, headed by Jaiprakash Gaur. The Gaurs currently own and operate four five-star hotels in the region and they are developing a number of commercial complexes and shopping malls alongside the new Delhi-Agra motorway, which they have built for the government, this is to the south-east of Delhi.

Jaypee says that it will look at the success of this year’s Commonwealth Games in Delhi in order to gauge realistic ticket prices to attract India’s fast-developing middle classes.

Source - Indian GP construction on schedule – pictures Joe Saward's Grand Prix Blog

[khanak]

Having made numerous controversial changes to the established stable of F1 circuits, Tilke secured the contracts to design many high-profile new world circuits from scratch. These include:
1998 Sepang International Circuit, Malaysia
2004 Bahrain International Circuit, Bahrain
2004 Shanghai International Circuit, China
2005 Istanbul Park Racing Circuit, Turkey
2006 Cancun, Mexico *Undeveloped
2006 Beijing International Streetcircuit, China
2008 Marina Bay Street Circuit, Singapore *concept design
2007 Bucharest Ring, Romania
2008 Swedbank kartodroms, Latvia
2008 Valencia Street Circuit, Spain
2008 Jakarta Street Circuit, Indonesia
2009 Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi-United Arab Emirates
2009 Cape Town Grand Prix, South Africa
2010 Dublin Street Circuit, Ireland[citation needed]
2010 Korean International Circuit, South Korea (under construction)
2010 Moscow Raceway, Russia (Planned MotoGP Venue)
2010 Kazakhstan Motor City, Republic of Kazakhstan
2010 Atlanta Motorsports Park, United States of America (under construction)

Hermann Tilke - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[khanak]

India will definitely host a Grand Prix in Delhi in 2011, Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone has told the BBC Asian Network.
Ecclestone insists he and Indian company Jaiprakash Associates Ltd are "fully committed" to the project.
"Of course we will deliver... otherwise we wouldn't have entered into an agreement," said Ecclestone.
Work on a new circuit on the outskirts of Delhi was meant to begin in October 2008 but was postponed.
Ecclestone said that this was because he has issues with the global calendar of sporting events and "certain contracts elsewhere to fulfil".

BBC Sport understands that work on India's track will now begin this summer, with completion expected at the end of 2010.
Top Indian driver Narain Karthikeyan cast doubt over the project last month, saying he didn't believe "anyone would want to invest in motorsport" during the current global economic crisis.
But Karthikeyan, who raced for Jordan and tested for Williams in F1, knows how popular the sport could be in his country.
"It will be very big for the whole of Asia because everyone will benefit," he said.
"It will also be much better for fans in India to get closer to the sport."
Ecclestone is keen to bring F1 to a country with a population of over one billion and one of the world's fastest-growing economies - even in the current global downturn.

I doubt in India anything will be a rival to cricket, but let's see
Bernie Ecclestone
"It's a large, large country with a big population and it's good for the sponsors, car manufacturers and everyone involved in Formula One," he said.
The Force India team's participation in F1 has also raised the sport's profile in India, although it has a long way to go before it challenges cricket's popularity.
Ecclestone admitted he is not expecting Lewis Hamilton to rival the likes of India cricket superstars Mahendra Dhoni and Sachin Tendulkar any time soon.
"I doubt in India anything will be a rival to cricket, but let's see," he said.

BBC SPORT | Motorsport | Formula One | India 'will host 2011 Grand Prix'

[KSM-Vtec]

Hey guys any updates on this?? hope the project is on track!!!

[pranavt]

Another lame track, by Hermann Tilke I assume. The trademark point-n-shoot circuit layout stays. Too sterile and generic.