CHENNAI : On a day of high drama, the cards did vroom on Chennai’s street circuit but not before an intervention by the Madras High Court and a late clearance by the international motorsport body (FIA).
The overnight heavy rain too added to the melee. The streets of Chennai around the Island Grounds were barricaded and cleaned but heavy showers on Friday evening complicated things.
The organizers apparently pointed this out to the High Court saying the track work could not be completed due to sudden showers.
The fallout? The Indian Racing Festival (IRF) 2024 that was supposed to start in the afternoon on Saturday got delayed. The organizers informed that “due to technical issues, there will be a delay in today’s activities” but there were quite a few more things that needed to be done. It is understood that the FIA had issues with two of the corners, which needed to be fixed before granting the license for the race.
It was late evening when everything fell into place but not before the qualifying session was postponed and races delayed. Sunday will see more races and the organizers are planning to start the proceeding early.
Sources indicated that FIA wanted changes in a couple of turns. The organisers sought time from the HC till evening 6 pm to get the certificate from FIA.
As night descended, cars started to line up on the grid. Finally, the reality of a night street race dawned with roaring engines and screeching tyres.