NOVEMBER 7, 2003

Indians to meet again with Ecclestone

Bernie Ecclestone's visit to India which was due to take place this month was cancelled but the authorities in Hyderabad have not given up on the idea of an Indian Grand Prix and will be in London on Monday to meet the F1 boss. The Hyderabad authorities are worried that another Indian state may try to get in ahead of it, as the states of Mahashtra and Karnataka are both keen to get a race. The Mahashtra bid may be less important now that the city of Mumbai has landed a race in the UIM Formula 1 power boat series but the city of Bangalore is keen to get a Formula 1 race.

The chief minister of Karnataka, S M Krishna, says that the city's new international airport (where the racing circuit would be located) will be finished within 33 months. The work will start next month at Devanahalli. Bangalore is positioning itself as the preferred destination for outsourcing in the IT business and wants F1 to boosts its international image as a technology center.