This story is from November 25, 2021

Training academy for racers to come up at Karumathampatti

Training academy for racers to come up at Karumathampatti
Coimbatore: Motorsports would get a fresh boost in the district with a training academy for racers coming up at Karumathampatti. The facility would also house the district’s second motor racing track, which is touted as the country’s first anti-clockwise circuit.
To be set up jointly by the Coimbatore Auto Sports and Transport Trusts and Mumbai Falcons Racing Limited at Karumathampatti, the facility would have all the required infrastructure to train racers for international events and testing high-performance automotives.

Moid Tungekar, chief executive officer, Mumbai Falcons Racing Limited, said, “Coimbatore is the heart of racing in the country. The racing academy will be set up on more than 100 acres at Karumathampatti. The facility will help identify the budding motorsport enthusiasts in the country and groom them to compete in international racing championship events.”
J Prithiviraj, secretary, Coimbatore Auto Sports Club, welcomed the initiative and said the academy would help popularise and develop the motorsports among the youngsters. “It will surely produce good racing drivers in future.”
Moid Tungekar said they had started the construction of the high-speed track at Karumathampatti last Friday (November 19). “The facility, which is just 30 minutes’ drive from the city airport, would house two types of tracks. One of the circuits will be 3.8-km long and it will be the first anti-clockwise circuit in the country. The foundation laying ceremony for the track was held on November 19.”
It would be a FIA (Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile) grade-2 circuit, he said. Designed by Apex Circuit Design Limited, the world’s leading designers of racing and testing tracks, the track is likely to be ready by March 2022 and opened for Formula 2.

The grade-2 licence signifies that the new track could host all motorsport events, except Formula 1. GT racing, FIA world endurance championship and Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM), etc., could be held at Karumathampatti in future.
The second one would be a Commission Internationale de Karting-FIA grade-1 karting circuit.
Moid Tungekar said the purpose of the testing centre of excellence was to create a focal point for the development of the automotive and motorsports industry in India. “The two tracks will be the core of the first phase of the project. Additional features will be incorporated in the future development plans.”
India’s first Formula 1 racing driver Narain Karthikeyan said the facilities would help produce the next set of world-class motorsport engineers, racing drivers and more efficient automotive technologies.
The district already has Kari Motor Speedway at Chettipalayam, where many national racing championship events are conducted.
Prithiviraj, meanwhile, said the second circuit track, which was being constructed at a cost of several crores of rupees, would take the sport to the next level.
He said the formula LGB 4, the most economical single-seater racing formula cars, was manufactured in the district. “Coimbatore has the potential for racing and it is home to India’s first Formula 1 driver Narain Karthikeyan. The district will find a place in the international arena when it starts playing host to international racing championship events.”
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