Greater Noida: With just over a couple of weeks to go for the second edition of the Indian Grand Prix, the organisers today showcased their preparedness to host the sporting extravaganza at the Buddh International Circuit here.
The organisers Jaypee Sports International Limited (JPSL), said a few changes were made to the circuit in accordance with the FIA guidelines to make the racing event more competitive.
The kerb length at turn eight and nine has been extended from 5m to 15m and the height of all the kerbs across the circuit now at 25 mm.
It will also incorporate an astroturf lining at turn two and three and seven and eight to provide additional safety at run-off areas.
"Some minor changes have been made to the run off areas that will enhance the overall experience of the race," the general manager race operations, Farhan Vohra told reporters.
"We have extended the width of few turns from 5m to 15m and the height of the kerbs have been raised to 25mm, to discourage the drivers from using any shortcuts," he added.
Last year Ferrari`s Felipe Massa had expressed his discomfort with the kerbs at turn eight and nine after he broke his suspension, but the organisers said that the FIA has rather directed them to increase the kerb length to avoid the drivers from taking any shortcuts.
Meanwhile, Vohra also said that they have hired dusters from Bahrain to clean up the track.
"We have hired special mechanised dusters from Bahrain and these will start working after 15th October to clean up the minutest of dust particles from all over the track which cannot be washed with regular dusters," Vohra said in response to a question about what measures they were taking to clean up the track.
During the inaugural edition, complaints were made that the track was too dusty, however, Vohra said with amount of construction going on around the circuit that was bound to happen.
As part of the elaborate plans, the parking capacity has been raised to about 21, 000 private cars and 1,000 motorcycle this time, senior vice-president traffic and security JPSI, Qamar Ahmad said.
He also mentioned that apart from the private cars, more than 200 pre-booked chartered buses from the Noida City Centre metro station would be pressed into action to ferry the spectators to the venue.
An additional 200 chartered buses can be availed as `park and ride` facility from the nearby Knowledge Park II, he said.
First Published: Thursday, October 11, 2012, 20:29