Chennai's MMRT gets FIA Grade 2 certification

The Madras Motor Race Track (MMRT) near Chennai has received an FIA upgrade to allow the hosting of events like Indycar, FIA World Endurance Championship, German touring cars (DTM) and sports car racing.

The MMRT, which was inaugurated in 1990, has seen numerous inspections from FIA officials over the past three years in their bid to upgrade the circuit. This includes work on the run-off areas, kerbs, Armco barriers, and a fully advanced race control room. MMRT has also laid special emphasis on safety measures to make the circuit safe for competitors.

The MMRT was India's first ever FIA recognized race track. The Kari Motor Speedway in Coimbatore - first used as a permanent racing facility in 2003 - has also been in the news the last two years with talks of upgrading it to an FIA Grade 3 specification.

A CHEAPER ALTERNATIVE
The Buddh International Circuit (BIC) at Greater Noida normally receives the lion's share of the attention as far as Indian motor sport is concerned due to the running of the Formula 1 Indian Grand Prix. It's construction and the hosting of a race on the F1 calendar was seen as a major upgrade for circuit racing in India from the pre-existing venues near Chennai and Coimbatore. Circuit racing reaching another part of India's vast area was also seen as a positive development.

However, the high cost of constructing the BIC has brought with it high maintenance costs as well as a hefty bill from Formula One Management due to the exorbitant race hosting fee that Bernie Ecclestone requires as part of the contract for hosting a round of the F1 World Championship. Initial talk of hosting sporstcar racing, V8 Supercars and even trying to lure F1 teams to test at the BIC for warm weather running have not materialized as yet and a highly publicized campaign to host a round of the FIM World Superbike Championship also fell through.

The upgrades to the MMRT should thus come as welcome news to motor sport enthusiasts in India who are keen to see more high profile racing series and championships reach Indian shores outside of F1 and MotoGP.

WELCOME NEWS
The development is seen as a positive by many figures in Indian motorsport including India's only two (so far) F1 drivers.

"The Madras Circuit is like my home track where I made my racing debut, so it will always be a special place for me," said Narain Karthikeyan. "The layout is enormously challenging and I think it is enjoyed by all drivers as well as riders. The safety has come a long way from when I started back in ’92 and hopefully the new certification will provide an impetus for more international races to be held at the venue and help our young drivers’ development."

Karun Chandhok also saw the news as a positive development for young drivers in India. "This is fantastic news for Indian motorsport as a whole. I have many fond memories of this circuit and have witnessed it improving over the years," said Chandhok. "It is important to have circuits like this which are affordable to use and are challenging for young drivers to help in their development. With the plans that are shaping up for the upgrade of the facilities, this will certainly be a great destination for championships like GT Asia, the Asian Le Mans series and the Japanese Super GT.”

Former FMSCI president and current president of the Madras Motor Sports Club, Vicky Chandhok clarified that the upgrade to the MMRT should not be seen as the circuit posing a challenge to the BIC, which he admitted was an enormous undertaking by the Jaypee Group who brought F1 to India at huge expense in 2011 and ran the event for a further two years with no government support unlike hugely successful and popular events like the Singapore GP and even the Australian GP.