Chennai has long been considered the cradle of motorsports in India. This weekend will see the city add another feather to its motorsports hat when it hosts the country’s first-ever night street race.
The Government of Tamil Nadu, through the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT), will conduct the second round of the Indian Racing Festival on August 31 and September 1 at the 3.5-km Chennai Formula Racing Circuit. Designed around the Island Grounds, cars will race in the anti-clockwise direction along some of the city’s major landmarks — Victory War Memorial, Napier Bridge, Swami Sivananda Salai and Anna Salai.
The bustling stretch, alongside the iconic Marina Beach, is a beehive of activity as the finishing touches are being given to the circuit. The catch-fences and barriers are in place while the grandstands for spectators are getting ready, with the seating area decked in the colours of the national flag.
One of the spectator grandstands will be on Anna Salai (near Muthuswami Bridge). Sivananda Salai will have four grandstands while the Island Grounds will have three lounges.
Free practice and qualifying sessions will be held on Saturday for the Indian Racing League (IRL), F4 Indian Championship and the JK Formula LGB 4 categories. Racing action will start at 4.05 p.m. on Sunday, with two races scheduled in each of the JK FLGB 4, F4 and IRL categories. The F4 and IRL events will be timed races, lasting 25 minutes plus one lap.
