CHENNAI: Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Saturday waved the ceremonial green flag to officially start the Silverstone round of the Michelin Le Mans Cup in the UK, where actor-racer Ajith Kumar was part of the 44-car grid.
The event also brought together two of Tamil cinema’s biggest stars and longtime contemporaries, whose fan bases have for decades viewed them as box-office rivals. Vijay and Ajith were seen exchanging pleasantries and speaking warmly when they met at Silverstone.
Ajith is competing in the LMP3 Pro/Am category for Ajith RedAnt by Virage, sharing the No 16 Ligier JS P325-Toyota with French driver Romain Vozniak. Vijay also posed for photographs beside Ajith as the actor-racer sat in the cockpit ahead of the race.
Vijay’s visit to Silverstone, along with Public Works and Sports Development Minister Aadhav Arjuna, also forms part of the Tamil Nadu government’s efforts to study international motorsport infrastructure as it plans to set up a Motor Sports City. The delegation is studying aspects including circuit design, safety systems and the commercial operation of motorsport facilities.
Ajith had, earlier, thanked Vijay for taking time to come to Silverstone. He said the two had been colleagues in the film industry for 34 years and that he was happy to see Vijay become chief minister.
Ajith also praised the state government’s efforts to promote sports across disciplines, including motorsport, and said his team had invited Vijay to Silverstone so he could see first-hand the infrastructure and logistics required to host international racing events.
Ajith said his wish is to see international motorsport events of this scale brought to India, particularly Chennai, so that Indian racers could compete on home soil. Ajith had, earlier in the day, taken the wheel in qualifying to secure the team’s place on the grid for Saturday’s race.
