India will get to enjoy the experience of Formula 1 racing at the new Buddh International Circuit (formerly the Jaypee Group Circuit). While it is not the first motor racing track in India, it is certainly a modern facility worthy enough to host a modern F1 race. There have been racing talent to grace motorsport from India. The one that comes out to me right away is former F1 racer Narain Karthikeyan. If you're a fan of the Force India F1 race team, you know that Force India would have SERIOUS home field advantage when the first Indian Grand Prix kicks off proper. Prior to releasing this post, I forgot to mention Karun Chandhok as far as Indian racing talent is concerned.
This blog post is my own unique look at India's brand-new racing facility. Any long-time reader of my blog and my "Race Tracks" posts know that I offer video laps and lap record information. Since this track is brand-new, I will have to update it in the future with new content.
About the Label: "South Asia"
I have launched this blog label to discuss topics and issues regarding South Asia. I hope this will be a way to get more readers in places like India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, and places like that. I usually get a lot of readers mostly from India, but I hope this will improve that.LATEST UPDATE(S):
OCT 31 2011 - added more information regarding the (recently completed) Indian Grand Prix; added extra sections--- Buddh International Circuit ---
This is a look at the new circuit in India:
^ from: www.ausmotive.com - The Buddh International Circuit is told to produce some of the fastest average top speeds in today's Formula 1 racing.
Located in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India (around Delhi, India and not far from Agra, India); Buddh International Circuit is 5.14 km (about 3.19 miles) in length. The track boasts some 16 corners around this nearly 3.2-mile course. This course features a great deal of elevation changes to make the racing exciting. It is also designed to be a very safe facility. We'll have to see how safe this course can really be when races are finally run at this facility.
(NOTE: This lap description is based on an analytical view of how I think laps will play out.) Turns 1 through 3 tend to remind me of the modern Hockenheim. Racing machines will surely scream down the long backstretch before having to slow them all the way down for Turn 4. I can easily see Turn 4 as a good passing zone, but you'll need to be pretty clever in making your passes. Turns 5 through 9 can easily unnerve both the racing machine and the racer alike with an ill-prepared machine. Turns 5 through 9 can be as unnerving as some of the many corners of Shanghai International Circuit. I kind of like the balance with the decreasing-radius Turn 10 and Turn 11 complex going into Turns 12 through 15. If anything, the sharpness of Turn 16 reminds me a good deal of either the final corner at Shanghai International Circuit or the final corner of Sepang International Circuit. I could see Formula 1 allowing the DRS feature either on the front stretch or (especially) the backstretch the straight between Turn 3 and Turn 4.
If anything... Asia, let alone India, will have one amazing race track to see some great racing happen. It should be a very good track to compete on whether it's cars or motorcycles. It will be the finest race track in India to compliment other tracks in India like Coimbatore, Irungattukottai, and Kari Motor Speedway.
Video Preview.
This video provides a preview of this course. Have a look:Excited? (ADDED: October 31, 2011) Let me give you lap time ideas here. Sebastien Vettel clocked a lap of 1:24.178. This was good enough to put Vettel in pole position for the inaugural F1 Grand Prix of India. During the race, Vettel had a lap time in the 1:27.700 range. So you know how fast these cars can go around this 3.1-mile race track in India. Or at least, F1 cars.
A Brief Report.
Sebastien Vettel won the F1 Indian Grand Prix and basically dominated the weekend. Rounding out the podium were 2nd place Jenson Button and 3rd place Fernando Alonso. Michael Schumacher finished 5th. In case you're wondering about Force India, both Force India cars finished one lap down. Adrian Sutil finished 9th while Paul di Resta finished 13th. India's own Narain Karthikeyan finished three laps down in 17th racing for Hispania Racing.More from Yahoo! Sports UK on this race: Indian Grand Prix results on Yahoo! Eurosport UK
--- Thoughts on the Buddh International Circuit ---
I finally had a chance to see a lap around this track as well as watch a little racing around this course. This course has a very nice layout. It doesn't start getting interesting until after Turn 4. Turns 5 through 10 will unnerve the best drivers and cars. It is a great-looking course. Maybe not futuristic like the Yas Marina Circuit, but it is a great-looking track. Action should be insane for whatever series race on this track.India has other racing facilities, but this new Buddh International Circuit is no doubt the new crown jewel of motorsport in India. It is a well-designed circuit that I think will be a great challenge to many forms of motorsport. I am not sure of any other series that raced at the course leading up to the F1 Grand Prix of India, but I'm sure various touring car series, perhaps motorcycle series, and maybe even GT/sportscar racing has or will grace this track in the future. It's great to see more motorsport and motorsport facilities in mainland Asia.
The first-ever Indian Grand Prix was hailed as a success by F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone. Drivers noted that they loved the course. Next year's race could improve upon what this year's race brought. I can only hope this track becomes as much a formidable challenge as any other on the F1 calendar. I also hope other racing series that challenge this track will enjoy this track and its challenge as well.
To read more thoughts from Bernie Ecclestone on the inaugural Indian Grand Prix, read "Ecclestone hails Indian GP a success" on Yahoo! Eurosport UK.
--- Special Note for My Readers in India ---
In an effort to try to expand my content to more places worldwide, I value the support of all of my loyal audience. I am actually trying to come up with more posts to appeal to my audience in India audience as well as across South Asia. So bear with me as I try to come up with some more posts I hope you all will enjoy. Thank you for visiting John's Blog Space!To learn more about this racing facility, please visit Buddh International Circuit's official website. The first-ever F1 Indian Grand Prix will be run on October 30, 2011. That will be consistent with how the later stages of the F1 season features some of the high-speed courses like Monza. Good luck to all of the teams competing in the first-ever Indian Grand Prix. What do you think about this course and what this track will have to offer for all racing that takes place here? Thank you for reading!
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