F4 street race: Chennai Street Circuit gets FIA G3 licence

PTI, Aug 31, 2024, 8:20 PM IST

Representative image (source: X)

Chennai: The Chennai Street Circuit for the upcoming Formula 4 Street Car Race was granted a G3 circuit licence by the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile on Saturday.

The Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) licence landed just hours after the Madras High Court on Saturday had granted time to the organisers till 8 pm today to obtain the federation’s approval for the conduct of the event here.

“The granting of this licence is a prerequisite for the submission of an application to organise on the circuit an event for the category covered by the said licence, but is not in itself sufficient to allow the registration of such an event within the framework of an FIA championship,” read FIA’s licence statement. FIA is the governing body for world motorsport.

“Although this licence, issued by the FIA in accordance with the most recent safety standards, is obligatory, it cannot be considered as procuring absolute safety in motorsport events, which by their nature are not devoid of risk, regardless of the precautions taken in accordance with the most appropriate criteria.

“The conditions for issuing a circuit licence may only be considered as procuring a minimum level of safety; this licence cannot constitute an absolute guarantee of the safety of the circuit or of an event.

“Responsibility for safety rests with the circuit owners and the organisers or promoters of events who use this circuit under the aegis of the national authorities and laws.

“The liability of the FIA in this matter is excluded, its mission consisting only in indicating the minimum safety rules, which must be observed.” Earlier on Saturday, the Madras High Court granted time to the organisers of the Formula 4 Street Car Race time till 8 pm today to obtain the FIA approval for the conduct of the event here.

The order by a bench of Justices R Suresh Kumar and P B Balaji came on a plea from Racing Promotion Private Ltd.

It said the FIA had suggested some changes to a particular corner of the track, and work was going on, and it was expected to be completed by 6 pm. Some work got delayed due to rain that lashed the city late on Friday.

The petitioner has spent about Rs 200 crore, and 5,000 tickets have been sold.

On Friday, the first bench of the HC, comprising Acting Chief Justice D Krishnakumar and Justice PB Balaji, passed interim orders allowing the Formula 4 car race to be held without disrupting traffic.

The Formula 4 Street Car Race will be the first-ever night race in the country, set to be held in the 3.5 km circuit.

Eight city-based franchise teams — Chennai Turbo Chargers, Goa Aces JA Racing, Speed Demons Delhi, Bangalore Speedsters, Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers, Hyderabad Blackbirds, Ahmedabad Apex Racers and Godspeed Kochi – will be participating in the event.