India’s first night racing session held at MMRT track

PTI, Aug 8, 2019, 2:12 PM IST

Chennai: The Madras Motor Sports Club conducted the country’s first floodlit test session in a bid to host night racing competitions at the MMRT track in Sriperumbudur.

The four-hour hour test session held on Wednesday night, attracted over 100 participants, a clutch of “super cars” and professional race drivers including former Formula 1 racer Karun Chandhok, Aditya Patel, Chetan Korada, Arfath Mohammed, Ishaan Dodhiwala and former rally driver Ranjit Ballal, a media release said.

“I think what they (the MMSC) have done is very good. We should do more of these events as they will whet the appetite of the people for the sport. I did a few laps here tonight,” said Chadhok, who has raced at night at Le Mans and F1 testing in Bahrain and Abu Dhabi.

The night session was conducted in a full-fledged racing environment with temporary floodlight towers in place at select locations, besides Marshals manning the posts around the circuit and other safety precautions.

“Based on this response and interest, we are hopeful of running a few events. Initially, maybe more track days, some short events and then endurance races,” MMSC president, Ajit Thomas said

“We have already invested heavily (about Rs 20 crore) in upgrading the track, the paddock and various facilities and racing equipment. So, going forward, I think we can manage night racing in the future,” Thomas said.