Hyderabad will soon have its very own racetrack, with the new Pista Motor Raceway being built in Dundigal, just over an hour away from Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport. The venue is aiming to offer something for all petrolheads out there and will also house a drag strip and off-road track.
- 3.708km long Pista Motor Raceway will be open to the public
- Phase one expected to be ready by May 2022
- Venue will house off-road track and drag strip
Here’s what we know about the Pista Motor Raceway so far:
Pista Motor Raceway layout
Once completed, the Pista Motor Raceway will be 3.708km long and feature 16 turns. However, this is just a tentative layout and further changes can be expected.
The layout has been designed by Deetales Design Studio, with inputs from Indian racers Anindith Reddy and Ishaan Dodhiwala. The team involved is aiming to build a challenging track that features elevation changes in line with the natural contours of the land.
When will the Pista Motor Raceway be ready?
Work on the racetrack is well underway and it will be built in multiple phases. The drag strip is expected to be completed by May 2021. After that, phase one of the track, which will be 2.3km long, is being targeted to be ready by May 2022.
The track will then extend to 3.5km in phase two, which will be completed by around May 2023. A Laguna Seca-like corkscrew loop will also be added in this phase.
Track owners will begin the FIA accreditation process once the full track with the pit garage, and skid pad is ready.
Off-road track
A temporary off-road track is already complete and active. Bike dirt track and autocross events are planned at the location for later this month (on November 14 and 15) in partnership with Merrick Adventures. If you’re interested, you can head here to register for these events.
The off-road track is currently using the tarmac track as a base, but once the main track is built, the off-road track will be moved to the land opposite the main track.
Will the Pista Motor Raceway be open to the public?
While speaking to Autocar India, the track owner revealed that there are currently no plans to host any national racing events at the Pista Motor Raceway. Instead, the venue will be open to “like-minded people to come and have fun”.
For now, plans are in place for the 2.3km ‘phase one’ track to be opened up to the public. Once the drivers put in some track time there, they’ll be allowed to have a go on the ‘phase two’ track once it’s complete.
The venue has tied up with Racetech from Bengaluru for on-track services for cars, while Horizonmoto will offer on-track services for bikes.
Racetracks in India
It’s an exciting time for the motorsport community in India, with the Pista Motor Raceway joining the recently-announced Nanoli Speedway as the newest racetracks coming up in the country. We currently have three major tracks that are operational in the country – the Buddh International Circuit (BIC), Madras Motor Race Track (MMRT), and Coimbatore’s Kari Motor Speedway. Out of these, the BIC remains India’s only F1-spec track. There’s also a new FIA Grade 3 track that is being developed in Andhra Pradesh, but it is still a few years away from completion.
And it’s not just the new racetracks giving Indian racing enthusiasts something to cheer for. After a lengthy break due to the COVID-19 pandemic, national championships have finally started resuming in the country. And just recently, Italian karting giant CRG signed a deal with Narain Karthikeyan’s NK Racing Academy, in a move that will give a big boost to Indian motorsport at the grassroots level.
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