FMSCI wants Formula One back in India

BENGALURU: Indian motor sports' quest for recognition finally moved into second gear with the sports ministry recently granting the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India the status of a national Sports Federation (NSF) in March this year.
However, for the national motor sports governing body, the landmark ruling is just the start of a process that it hopes will witness the return of Formula One to the country.
"We have a name now. We are just born and we need to go a long way," said FMSCI president Bharath Raj, whose tenure began late last year. Raj might have tasted some degree of success already but he is in no mood to ease up, stating that plans were on to ensure a framework is in place to iron out causes primarily competing teams' perceived notion of difficult government policies and bureaucratic hurdles that resulted in the Buddh International Circuit (BIC) losing its marquee event.
"We will meet the Gaur family," said Raj, referring to the team behind Jaypee Sports International (JPSI), the promoters of the Indian Grand Prix and the owners of the Greater Noida facility.
"They are enterprising and encouraging. The F1 promoter Bernie Ecclestone is also keen on coming back to India and he is going to have a dialogue with JPSI. It may take some time but there will definitely be some good news for the coming years," said Raj.