[TusharK]

Nidhi Marque One Motors Pvt. Ltd. is setting up a new race track in Andhra Pradesh. The FIA Grade 3 certified circuit will also house vehicle testing facilities.



The new circuit will be built at Kotapalli village in the Ananthapuram district of Andhra Pradesh. The facility will be spread over 219 acres, with an expected circuit length of 3.4 km and elevation changes of up to 40 m. The track will be certified to run cars with a power-to-weight ratio of 1 HP per 2-3 kg. Apart from the tarmac circuit, there are plans to build a drag strip, an off-road track with a rock-crawling section, skid pad and wet surface track.



Other facilities will include a 40-room 3-star resort and a 5-hole golf course, a sports complex and an automotive theme park. The circuit will offer club memberships where members can avail of private access, secure garage parking and preferential rates on rooms and track hire. The project is expected to be completed in 90 months and employ 360 people.




Source: Autocar India

Link to Team-BHP News

[akash_v12]

The brainchild of Anush Chakravarthi (director of the Marque One Motor Club), who is an avid racing enthusiast himself, the Marque One racetrack was intended to measure in at 3.2km. The initial aim was to go for an FIA Grade 3 certification, which would allow the track to accommodate cars with a power-to-weight ratio of 1hp:2-3kg.

However, while speaking with Autocar India, Chakravarthi revealed that he has since decided to extend the track to 5.5km to open it up to an even wider scale of international racing events. This will make it the longest racetrack in India; for reference, the Buddh International Circuit (BIC) – which was specifically built for F1 – is 5.125km long.

While the latest layout won’t quite be to the scale of F1, Chakravarthi is aiming for an FIA Grade 2 certification, along with a Grade B licence from the FIM, the global governing body for motorcycle racing.

The revisions will see the main straight, which will also double as an integrated drag strip, extend to 1.1km. This makes it marginally longer than BIC’s 1.06km main straight. Following the natural terrain of the land, the track will also feature significant elevation changes, with organisers aiming for it to be “built to test the professional race car driver and designed to be safe and enjoyable for the casual club member.”

The track design is being developed by Driven International, the same firm that worked on the Kari Motor Speedway’s upgrades and the upcoming Nanoli Speedway near Pune.

The original 3.2km track was supposed to be completed sometime next year. However, the new developments will add further construction time. Moreover, organisers will have to approach the FIA and FIM for licence clearances as well.

Chakravarthi expects this to add another four to five months to the initial completion timeline.

Source: Autocar India

[aa1997]

There seems to be no progress at the ground level. This just feels like a change of plans to just push the timeline and keep the project alive on paper.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UNf2RrBeV0

[kiredd1005]

Any progress on this? I had read about it in AutoCar magazine.

[siddharthseth]

Originally Posted by kiredd1005

Any progress on this? I had read about it in AutoCar magazine.

I am guessing after the initial investment and the heavy-duty PR activities in 2020 and 2021, this has fizzled out, like all major development projects

I would like to believe otherwise, but instinct and past-experience in Andhra has left me quite skeptical.

[kiredd1005]

Originally Posted by siddharthseth

I would like to believe otherwise, but instinct and past-experience in Andhra has left me quite skeptical.

That's indeed quite sad to hear. But is there concrete info or is it just heresay?