A safer track in place for today’s IRL race

HYDERABAD: The Indian Racing League (IRL) is back on the Hyderabad street circuit, the only in the country, for yet another weekend of adrenaline rush. This will be the second trial race ahead of the Formula E race, which the city proposes to host on February 11.

Drawing lessons from the first trial run’s mistakes, preparations were in full swing to ensure an error-free event over the weekend.

Accordingly, organisers put in place personnel to prevent backdoor entry of people and ensure that ticket-holders got to occupy their seats. Extra precautions are being taken to avoid incidents of the kind that happened in the earlier run when a barricade fell on a woman spectator. Police and health professionals would be stationed at strategic places to attend to such incidents, if they occurred.

On Friday, vendors were seen begrudgingly shutting shop for the weekend, as instructed by the cops, grumbling about losses from a potentially profitable weekend. Security was been strengthen with bouncers stationed at every 500 metres.

There were also a couple of visitors who came a day in advance hoping to get a chance to check their seats to avoid the last-minute hassles that they had heard about the last time. Housekeeping staff and ushers were being given last-minute briefs about working smart.

Access to the barricades right at the track are said to have been regulated in a way that visitors will be at a safe distance from any possible mid-race mishaps.

Although the seating arrangements remain the same, some chairs would be plastic while some have better cushioning this time.

Race cars in the pit-stop were ticking last-minute checklists.

Meanwhile while the previous trial race was canceled following an accident between drivers of Chennai Turbo Riders and Goa Aces teams, the subsequent race in Madras international circuit saw Hyderabad Blackbirds emerge as winners. Hyderabadis are hoping for an encore from ‘their’ team.