Works for Chennai Racing Circuit gather pace

CHENNAI: Gearing up to host India’s first on-street night Formula 4 race, the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT) has commenced works to upgrade roads around Island Ground, where the race will take place in a few days.

The works include removing medians so as to conduct the race without any impediment or risk, and safety features like crash barriers are being fixed at bends, said an official. “The top layer of the roads will be upgraded as per racing standards. The work will be completed in a few days. Apart from these works, no major modifications will be done on the roads,” the official added.

In order to facilitate the work, the Greater Chennai Traffic Police have restricted vehicle movements around the Island Grounds till December 1.

The Formula 4 category event, scheduled on December 8 and 9, has been christened Chennai Formula Racing. It will happen on the highly illuminated roads around the Island Grounds during nighttime. Once the race is completed, normal vehicle movement will be allowed on the roads as usual.

The circuit commences from Island Grounds and covers Flag Staff Road, Pallavan Road junction, Sivananda Road, and Napier Bridge, and ends at the Island Grounds. It will have 19 corners, while the pit and paddock structures will come up inside Island Grounds.

The SDAT is developing the racing circuit at Rs 42 crore, of which the CMDA handed over Rs 15 crore a few days ago. The responsibility of conducting the race has been handed over to Racing Promotions Private Limited (RPPL).

Formula 4 (or F4) is an open-wheel car racing that was introduced for junior drivers to bridge the gap between kart racing and the F3 category. The cars are powered by 1,600 cc engines that can churn out 160 bhp power and go as fast as 250 km per hour.