Speed junkies in grip of F1 fever

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The track’s ready, the stage is set and the speed devils will be landing soon. If the enthusiasm at a remote-controlled racing car competition held at IIT Delhi is any indicator then the Formula 1 extravaganza will be a cracker of an event. The backdrop presented likeminded racing enthusiasts in the city a chance to get up, close and personal with the design and racing aspects and share views with other motor-heads.
F1 and racing enthusiasts from across the campuses converged at the Red Bull Racing Can contest to try their hand at building the fastest remote-controlled car. The competing cars had similar engines, and it was upto controls, streamlining and chassis-design to differentiate the winner from the rest. “It was challenging, for it was hard to cut corners,” said Achint and Rohan Kumar, members of Team Razor from Bhagat Singh College who were among those finishing on the podium. The Maths (Hons.) duo are die-hard fans of F1 and are looking forward to the races. Achint added, “Sebastian Vettel is my favourite and I can’t wait to see the races.”
Prateek Gupta, a car enthusiast and aerdynamics junkie, and Nikhil Gupta, both IIT mechanical engineering students, who made the Top Guns team, too were upbeat about the city hosting the F1 jamboree. And the presence of 200-odd teams showed that the motoring fever is catching up fast.
For some anxious fans the upcoming F1 extravaganza is a dream come true to see the speed-devils race in their backyard. Sayan Dey, techie, says, “Having grown up watching Mika Hakkinen burn rubber, I was ecstatic when India found its first F1 driver in (Narain) Karthikeyan. I knew it was only a matter of time before India would overcome its infrastructural deficiencies to bring F1 home. I’m anxiously awaiting what promises to be an amazing event.”
Seconds Kushan Mitra, an F1 enthusiast, “I’m eagerly awaiting the first race in India and hoping that it will be all that I expect it to be; though, I doubt if I’ll get the chance to get up, close and personal with the stars.”
Some however are wary of previous pitfalls when they think of the last time the capital hosted an international event. Angad Singh Gakhar, a software engineer, opines, “If the games are a success it will put us on the world map. But I hope history doesn’t repeat itself and unlike CWG everything goes smooth.”
Many were also excited at the prospects of an F1 training centre coming up at the circuit and the likelihood of the legend Michael Schumacher disseminating a few tricks of the trade at the academy.
While the teams sweated it out on the set course, hundreds of fellow students and enthusiasts gathered to cheer their favourites. And after the thrilling races and engaging discussions culminated, it was time for the crowd to head home and wait for the Real McCoy to unfold in October.