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Zipping by on the fast lane
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To help youngsters make it big in racing, the city-based LGB Bros. has developed a sports car and is setting up an international racing track in Chettipalayam, writes RAYAN ROZARIO.
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THINKING BACK, it seems long overdue. One would have thought a racing track must ideally be part of the landscape of this city, which is the hometown of the late Karivardhan and current hero Narain Karthikeyan.
But, it has taken years for the dream to fructify. It's now only a matter of time before the Cotton City boasts of an international racing track and also has its own sports cars.
The brainchild of B Vijayakumar, the Managing Director of LGB and Bros Ltd, the racing track project also has former racing pro Akbar Ebrahim of Chennai on board.
"We have been in the field of transport and automobiles for the last 75 years. We wanted to work in an area which is developmental in nature and what could be better than racing? It is our desire to make available a stage for more youngsters to get into motor sports. The Argentineans, Brazilians, Spaniards, the British, Americans, Germans and Italians, and very recently, the Japanese, are into Formula 1 racing. The rate at which Indians are progressing is indeed slow. At this speed, it's going to take 100 years or more before someone stamps their class in F1 racing. To make it easier to reach the top, we have decided to provide upcoming racers with a solid platform from where they can call the shots," says Mr Vijay Kumar.
He says that, as a first step, the company has developed a 1.3 litre formula-racing car with an Esteem engine at a cost of Rs. 2.5 lakh. "Two prototypes were initially made. A lot of work was done on handling for about a year-and-a-half, but it was delayed due to non-availability of the Chennai track for testing."
The car looks a lot sleeker and is reminiscent of the Kari's 800. It is made of square tube steel structure with a fibreglass body. "We firmed up the design specifications and have already started manufacturing the cars. About 12 cars will zoom out during the track inauguration," he states.
When the cars roar onto the track, motor sport buffs here will get a taste of the power and the smell of the sport that has captured their imagination for many years now. "The cars will surely not be given free, but will come at a price. The operative cost is low, but the driver has to pay to lease the cars. We are also on the lookout for an engineering company which can produce good racing cars at low cost. We want to bring in more advanced cars later," he adds.
"Besides the cars, an internationally-approved track is a must. We need at least two tracks so that the drivers will get an opportunity to experience different racing conditions. Hence, we have proposed to set up a track at Chettipalayam in the outskirts of the city," says Mr. Vijayakumar, who has donned the JK colours in national racing. The track will be set up in about 50 acres of land and its length will be 2.1 kilometres. It can be used for both testing and drivers' training and for the big championships, too. LGB has already applied for Federation de Internationale Automobile approval. Once it comes through, any driver racing on this track will be given the licence to race abroad.
Mr Ebrahim will be the primary co-ordinator, coach and chief operator of the track. "With the track and the racing cars all set to be introduced, there is no reason why our boys can't go and accomplish their dream of becoming Formula 1 drivers," feels Mr. Vijayakumar.
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