An upgrade to the Madras Motor Race Track and racing at the circuit is a reminder that no matter what one says about how things work in India, bottom-up always trumps top-down...
Perhaps I was naïve during the run-up to the inaugural Indian Grand Prix. I probably was as I felt that all the money being thrown at the construction of the Buddh International Circuit would have been better used in another manner. In excess of Rs. 1,700 crore was spent for its construction. Imagine if that was used to build karting circuits and smaller scale race tracks around the country as part of a step-by-step plan to get people excited about racing and motorsport through participation. The knowledgeable and experienced members of the Indian motorsport fraternity would oversee the events held at the various venues and manufacturers could also get involved. And the various visits by F1 team drivers and roadshows would continue as well. Over the course of three years, this would eventually lead to the construction of a circuit capable of hosting an F1 race. How naïve I was indeed to think that either Bernie Ecclestone or the ones spending the money would ever think beyond the short-term. And then people wonder why failures lead to people wallowing in negativity and criticizing themselves when things don’t work out.
I remember a specific incident where I posed this question of why not bottom-up instead of top-down to a leading Indian motorsport figure. Him and two other journalists who heard me pose this question couldn’t help but snigger and smirk. Not out of any malice, but because they knew the truth about how large and flashy projects are usually handled in India. It always goes top-down because activities like motorsport and other big-ticket sporting events in India face one big problem. There are next to no venues for would-be practitioners to give it a go and the lack of financial incentive means we are not getting significant participation in anything other than cricket and the Olympic sports where those who do well get the promise of a job for life and a big prize as well. And if there are affordable racing facilities, you will only find two of them. Both in Tamil Nadu and up until the Rs. 20 crore worth of upgrades to the Madras Motor Race Track near Chennai, both fairly sub-par in terms of their facilities and even track surface at times. The MMRT seems to be on the path to becoming an attractive venue for those who want to partake of testing track-days and hold corporate events at a more affordable price than the BIC.
More than the facilities, however, what struck me the most about the MMRT was its track layout. The flow created by the 12 corners of the 3.717km circuit demands concentration no matter which car you are driving. You don’t have the luxury of being able to take a variety of lines on wide corners and there is no high-grip tarmac run-off area either. It’s not as fast and free-flowing as the BIC and neither is it as enjoyable a ride on account of the elevation changes at the premier racing facility in India. But what the MMRT does have is the ability to punish drivers and riders who get it wrong and lose their focus while trying to go fast. Think of it as a local running track where sprinters can train before competing in a sprawling Olympic-level stadium. And it is a damn shame that there is only one such circuit like it at the moment. And if you still think top-down is the only way to go, try running with your hands and your feet in the air and see how well that goes for you.
Write your Comment